Impossible Paradoxes
by Alexia Blackbriar
Summary: The Doctor, Amy and Rory are summoned by UNIT. The Silence are causing destruction across Earth; only the Doctor can stop them. The Doctor, Amy, Rory, Mickey, Martha, Jack, Rose, the duplicate Doctor, Donna and Torchwood are placed into a lethal game. An impossible paradox has been created. And there's no way out... BEWARE DRABBLES IN MIDDLE AND INVOLVES OC IN SOME PARTS.
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1**

**I wish the Doctor would just answer the phone sometimes**

Amy's eyes snapped open at the sound of the TARDIS phone ringing. Groaning, she turned over in the bed, pulling the covers further over her head. Normally, the Doctor would answer the phone before it would even start to ring – some strange weird Time Lord sense or something. Time travel; it was complicated. As the phone continued to ring, Amy was forced to sit up in her bed with another moan, scratching her head and blinking groggily. The Doctor should have answered the phone by now. Unless he expected her to answer it.

Slipping out of her bed, being careful not to wake Rory, her husband, who was still snoring like a pig, she tiptoed down the corridor towards the TARDIS control room. Her feet barely made a sound on the cool glass floor as Amy quickly leapt up the stairs towards the monitor, spinning it away from her and picking up the TARDIS phone. To her surprise, it wasn't the TARDIS phone that was ringing.

Frowning, she knelt down and reached blindly under the time rotor and pulled out a mobile phone. The Doctor had a mobile? What was going on? Shrugging her shoulders, she flipped open the phone and pressed it to her ear, holding it in place with her shoulder as she struggled to find a pen so she could write down the message for the Doctor.

"Er, hello? This is Amy Pond speaking, you have phoned the TARDIS." She recited, finding another piece of paper with those exact words written on them, most likely from the Doctor.

"Hi, Amy Pond. This is Doctor Martha Smith of the Unified Intelligence Taskforce. I'm guessing you know the Doctor, right?"

Amy's hand still searched for a pen as she kept dropping the phone as she tried to hold the piece of paper and the mobile in the same hand. "Uh, yes, yes, I do. I think he's busy at the moment though, do you want to leave a message?"

"Sorry, this is very important. I wanted to speak to him myself." The female voice sounded very determined, like she had met the Doctor before, and he owed her.

"Wait, did you say you were from UNIT?" Amy vaguely remembered what her Time Lord friend had told her about the agency – though all she could recall him saying were the three words, 'aliens', 'berets' and 'coffee'. "The Doctor used to work for UNIT, yeah? But… you said you were called Martha…" Memories suddenly clicked into place. "You must be Martha Jones, then."

"_Doctor _Martha _Smith_, actually. I'm married now, to a certain Mickey Smith."

"The Doctor mentioned him too. Mickey Mouse or Mickey the idiot."

"Sounds like the Doctor. This is urgent; UNIT needs him to identify something."

Amy sighed, looking around. The Doctor was still nowhere to be seen, but this sounded important. "Okay, I guess I can try and get him for you. Wait there for a sec." Amy ran down the stairs barefooted and yelled, very, very loudly, "DOCTOR!"

A minute later, the Doctor appeared from around a doorway, his sonic screwdriver clenched between his teeth and his bowtie undone and hanging loosely around his neck. His tweed jacket looked dusty and mattered – whatever the Doctor had been doing, it had been something _boring_. "What, Pond?"

"Martha Jones on the phone for you." Amy smiled at him.

The Doctor looked shocked for one moment, but delighted the next. He took the phone from his companion and took a very deep breath before saying, "Martha, hello. Been quite a while."

"Doctor. Yes, you're right, it has." Martha agreed with him in a business like fashion.

The Doctor couldn't help but grin. "You're boss listening in?"

"Maybe." Martha admitted, which could only be taken as a yes. "What about you though? How are you… like, still alive?"

The Doctor's face fell. "Oh. Er, right. You heard about that?"

"I think the whole universe heard about it."

"Don't tell anybody."

"Cross my hearts and hope to regenerate."

"I forgot that I used to say that. And, a bit ironic, since I _have _regenerated."

"WHAT?" Martha sounded generally shocked. "When? How? Why?"

"Long story. Why are you phoning, anyway? What's happened?"

"Well… it's hard to explain. But… we really need you here."

The TARDIS suddenly rolled about, spinning around madly as several knobs and levers on the console began to randomly twist and pull. It was if the TARDIS was driving itself, but it wasn't. It was if… it was if the TARDIS had been hacked.

The Doctor's tone became angry. "And that gives you the right to hijack the TARDIS?"

"It wasn't my idea." Martha insisted.

"How did you do it, anyway?" The Doctor seethed. "UNIT doesn't have that sort of technology, at least, not anymore." The Doctor bowed his head a little guiltily, since he had been the one to destroy the technology.

The TARDIS gave another lurch. Amy gripped one of the handrails, panting as she slid around in her nightdress. Rory staggered into the room, his eyes wide in terror, as he had no idea what was going on. The Doctor helped him up the stairs and pushed him towards Amy and the railings, where they held onto each other as the room tipped sickeningly. It was if the TARDIS herself was being kidnapped.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

**Why do UNIT have to be so annoying?**

"What's going on?" Amy wailed.

"UNIT have taken over the TARDIS flight controls." The Doctor explained with a murderous expression as he yanked down levers, dancing around the hexagonal panel, his hands darting back and forth as he attempted to pull free of UNIT's hold on his time machine. "And since they don't know how to fly her…"

"Bit of turbulence?" Rory suggested, his slippers flying across the room, crashing into the coffee table, sending cups soaring.

The Doctor laughed. "Exactly!"

Finally, the TARDIS jolted to a halt. The Doctor slowly got to his feet before pulling the married couple to theirs. They all looked at each other, knowing exactly what they were thinking. At the exact same moment, they all turned around and ran off to do what they were planning to. The Doctor began to build up shielding on the TARDIS exterior and doors, Amy rushed off to get dressed and Rory started sweeping up broken china and picking up fallen stuff. Once the TARDIS was back in order and Amy was changed comfortably into a pair of skinny jeans and a red and blue checked blouse, the three gathered around the time rotor.

"What are we going to do?" Amy whispered. "We can't just stay in here forever. We're going to have to go out."

"Can't we just fly back into the Vortex?" Rory asked the Doctor hopefully.

The Doctor shook his head. "Not now they've locked onto the TARDIS. And believe me, we're not going anywhere. They're probably setting up some sort of mechanism in case we try to slip off."

"So… we go out." Amy said.

"We go out." The Doctor agreed.

Very slowly, the Doctor opened the TARDIS doors, peeking outside. They seemed to be in a basement of sorts, where boxes were piled up in stacks and chains hung from the ceiling. The Doctor swept the room with his eyes once before listening for any whispered or loading of guns. The Doctor hesitantly stepped out of the TARDIS. Nothing happened. He turned back to Amy and Rory, who were waiting warily back inside. He was about to say that it was safe, before there was a shout.

Masses of soldiers piled into the room with loaded machine guns, pointed at the TARDIS and the Doctor. Some knelt down and prepared sniper rifles while others surrounded the blue box, yelling to each other. Amy stuck her head out, and there was no mistaking the fear in her eyes. The Doctor and Amy raised their hands. Rory stepped out soon after and stuck his hands in the air too.

"Where's the Doctor?" one soldier demanded.

"I'm the Doctor." The Doctor said in a steely voice. He waved. "Hello, here to help."

The soldier glared at him. "You don't look like the Doctor."

The Doctor was about to retort back, but a warm voice interrupted him. "And that's because he's regenerated."

A black woman in a lab coat with raven coloured hair strode towards the Doctor and his companions, a smile plastered on her face.

"Martha Jones." The Doctor grinned madly at her before hugging her tightly. "Never thought I'd see you again."

"That's Martha Smith, big nose." Another voice called out. A black man with a shaved head walked out after her, clapping a hand onto the Doctor's shoulder. "Or should I call you baby face, now?"

"Oi! That's offensive!" the Doctor chuckled back. "Mickey Mouse, the one and only.

The Doctor hugged Mickey Smith as well, before thoroughly looking them down, searching for any changes in his past companions. To his utter delight, there were none. He had expected them to be changed by UNIT, but it seemed they were the titanium soldiers, as usual.

"New face, then?" Mickey didn't look surprised. "Sarah Jane Smith told us. Well, she told me. Martha was in New York at the time of your funeral thing."

"Funeral?" Amy asked, alarmed.

The Doctor pulled Amy and Rory forwards. "Amy Pond, Rory Williams, Martha Smith, Mickey Smith. Please don't fight, can't stand fighting."

"Why would we fight?" Amy frowned.

"Rose Tyler and Sarah Jane Smith." Mickey explained. "Massive cat-fight."

"Oh, right." Amy understood.

The Doctor crossed his arms, his eyes burning. "Now. The TARDIS. I have one question – Why?"

Martha and Mickey looked at each other. Then back at the Doctor. Amy and Rory looked at each other. Then back at the Doctor. Apparently, this wasn't going to be easy.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

**I am positively sure now that UNIT are stupid**

As Martha handed the Doctor the readings, he glanced at them briefly once before throwing them back down onto the table and crossing his arms. Colonel Mace had arrived shortly after Mickey had tried to explain the situation to the Time Lord. Escorted to the office, the Doctor, Amy and Rory had been told about the wave of destruction hitting the globe at unexpected times, with peaks in the readings when something happened. They had given the Doctor every single paper with every single reading, but he still didn't understand why they needed him.

"Still don't know why this is so urgent you have to hijack the TARDIS." The Doctor said coldly.

"Look." Martha said hotly. "We had no choice. Most people here thought you were _dead_. Everybody knew about it. Lake Silencio, Utah. The Impossible Astronaut. So how were we to know you were even going to come?"

"So hacking into the TARDIS is what? Something to insure that I did come?" The Doctor was fuming.

"Yes." Colonel Mace answered back simply.

The Doctor glared at him before shifting his eyes to the pile of papers before him. He turned back to Amy and Rory, who were gazing at him sympathetically. The Doctor quickly glanced behind me. Three armed soldiers guarding the door. Two standing at his shoulder. Four more across the room. All with guns. The Doctor quickly realised that whatever he decided, he wouldn't be going anywhere.

He sighed and began filing through the papers. "I'm going to need a globe that won't mind being destroyed, maps of all corners of Earth, Amy and Rory to stay with me at all times, nobody to interrupt me while I'm working, a pen, a pencil, a red felt tip, my sonic screwdriver, a comfy chair, a pot of tea and seven jammy dodgers."

Martha beamed and shot a look at the Colonel, every inch of it shouting out 'I told you so'. Amy and Rory edged over to the Doctor and asked what he wanted them to do.

Once they had been set to work sorting out files on the peaks and the level of destruction, the Doctor was given back his sonic screwdriver, which Mickey had confiscated temporarily and a massive globe. The Colonel and Martha stood watching, with the soldiers still positioned around the room.

Without looking up from the globe, the Doctor pointed at the door and shouted, "Get out! Time Lord thinking in progress!" very, very loudly.

The soldiers scampered away, leaving the Colonel and Martha alone with the Time Lord and his companions.

"I told you he would do it." Martha whispered smugly.

"He only did it because he knows there's no way out of here if he doesn't."

The Doctor glowered up at them. "Oi! Working here! A little privacy!"

The Colonel raised her hands and gave a mock salute before backing out of the room, leaving Martha with the Doctor. The Doctor looked up at her. She had changed. She was more on UNIT's side than his now. She had 'soldier' written all over her.

"You too." The Doctor told her.

Martha looked momentarily hurt. The Doctor did not blink. As tears began to form in Martha's eyes, she turned and ran from the room. The Doctor pulled one of his hands through his scruffy dark brown hair. He felt guilty for having sent Martha away, but happy because she wasn't there to distract him.

"So, Doctor." Amy said conversationally. "This mass destruction stuff, what does that mean?"

"Oh, basically, major buildings collapsing, bridges breaking, earth quakes, tornados, hurricanes, storms, blizzards, anything bad."

"I thought that was just natural stuff." Rory butted in.

The Doctor handed him a paper. "You call this natural?"

It was a picture. Of a massive, over the scale space ship, hovering over Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. There were lasers being fired everywhere and nearly every building was in flames. The Doctor raised his eyebrows at Rory. Rory had to agree with the Doctor. This was not natural.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

**I just ruined a globe and my companions have gone to bed**

An hour later, the Doctor had literally ruined the globe. He had drawn hundreds of tiny red dots on it and linked them all up so there was this massive web stretched across Earth. Amy was exhausted from reading so much. She hadn't read so much since she had been forced to read that Jane Austen book as a kid. And it hurt.

Rory hurt too. Not only had he tired his brain out, but he had bumped into a soldier while trying to find the toilet. The soldier, thinking that Rory was trying to escape, had beaten him until he was battered. The Doctor and Amy had rushed to his aid, quickly explaining that he had been trying to find the loo before dragging him back inside the office.

The Doctor turned to the door. He knew that Amy and Rory didn't know it, but there were soldiers positioned at every possible escape route. There was no way out. They wouldn't be able to leave unless they solved this case. And even after that, the Doctor was still doubtful whether or not UNIT would release him – after all, he had _died_. The Doctor felt trapped. They had taken away his TARDIS, and now that he had finished with it, his sonic screwdriver. Again. He felt human. _Human_.

The Doctor turned to Amy. "You tired?"

Amy yawned. "I wanna go to my bed." She murmured. "TARDIS bed."

The Doctor shook his head, making his way over to his exhausted and half asleep best friend. She was already lying on the sofa with her feet dangling off the end. Rory was on the other, already fast asleep. The Doctor pulled a blanket from underneath the chair and shook it out before throwing it over her and kissing her on the forehead.

He did the same to Rory, except he missed out the kissing forehead part and instead patted him gently. As his friends slept, the Doctor continued to search on the maps.

Nothing they had found out so far made sense. The destruction was everywhere. Space ships had been sighted everywhere. There was no coincidence or reason. It looked as if it was just somebody having a lot of fun causing havoc. The Daleks were off radar, the Cybermen were busy enslaving another galaxy and the Weeping Angels… well, who knew where they were. But the Doctor couldn't pinpoint it. Nothing made sense.

He glanced at the clock. It was already nearly midnight. They had stayed up for nearly twelve hours doing research. The Doctor wished he could just have the TARDIS back, so he could sort things out from inside her walls. She knew what she was doing. UNIT, however, did not.

"Have you been up all night?"

The Doctor turned around and saw Martha leaning in the doorway. "Yep." He said, popping the 'p'.

"Surely that's not right. Go to sleep."

"Hurrah, I'm UNIT property now." The Doctor grumbled. "I do as the apes tell me to and I'm such an obedient Time Lord puppy."

"You know that's not what I meant."

"I know perfectly well what you meant."

Martha nodded towards Amy and Rory. "They're asleep."

"Yes, because they're human. They just spent twelve hours doing research they didn't have to do. They would be asleep in the TARDIS right now, but, perhaps you haven't noticed, I'm surrounded. We can't even go to the toilet without being attacked."

"That was just a misunderstanding."

"I don't think Rory's left eye will ever be the same again."

Martha sighed. "I can't get the TARDIS back."

"I know." The Doctor sounded generally calm. "You never will. It's UNIT property now, like I am. Woof woof."

"Stop it, Doctor." Martha snapped at him.

The Doctor ignored her and began mapping again. The tension between them grew when Martha attempted to pick up the globe and the Doctor glared at her, basically telling her to _leave him alone_. This Martha was no longer Martha Jones; she was Doctor Martha Smith of UNIT. Yes, she had been his past companion. Yes, she had saved his life. But now, not only had she trapped him, she had betrayed him, by being more loyal to her job than to her best friend.

The Doctor sighed, placing the map down on the table and swivelling around in his wheelie chair to face his old companion. "What happened to us?" he asked simply. "I mean, seriously, we're acting as if we're enemies or something."

Martha looked guiltily at the floor. "Guess the travelling days are over now. I'm trying to be good at my job."

"And you're job is to keep me captive?" the Doctor challenged, before realising his mistake and grimacing. "Eh, sorry. I don't know what's come over me. I _like _UNIT." He tried to convince himself.

"No, you don't."

"Yeah, you're right, I don't."

"Can't blame you though." Martha smiled at him. "We do a lot of stupid things sometimes."

"_Sometimes?_" the Doctor said sarcastically, before cursing himself again. "Dang it! Stop saying rude stuff!" he scolded himself, bashing him self on the head with his own hand. "I guess I'm still rude then. Rude and not ginger."

"What is it about you and gingers?" Martha laughed.

"Oh, I don't know. I'm daft and I'm old. And I want to be ginger." The Doctor whined. A sudden smile broke out on his face. "Yes, that's better. I sound okay now. The Doctor and Martha Jones."

"The Doctor and _Doctor _Martha _Smith_." Martha corrected.

The Doctor sighed. "And there you go again."

"The Doctor and Amy Pond sounds better though." Martha decided with a grin. "Amelia Pond. Like a fairy tale."

"That's what I said!" the Doctor exclaimed, exploding into a fit of giggles.

Martha left the Doctor to his work, closing the door quietly so she wouldn't wake the Doctor's two friends, before striding off again down the corridor towards her office, where Mickey was waiting for her. The Doctor remained in his seat, flicking through an atlas. His hearts leapt into his mouth as he suddenly realised something – something forgotten. All witnesses to the scenes of destruction – they couldn't remember.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

**Torchwood will provide all the answers hopefully**

Colonel Mace burst into the office at 5am with a smile on her face and cried out, "Rise and shine! Time to get to –" She stopped when she realised that the Doctor was already awake and scribbling furiously on a scrap of paper, sticking his tongue out slightly in silent concentration. "Have you been awake all night?"

"Yep. Time Lord thinking, still working, get out." He said, pointing once again to the door.

Amy and Rory were sipping cups of tea in the corner, looking exhausted. The Colonel wondered where the tea had come from, but it was most likely that Martha or Mickey had dropped off some breakfast for them.

"I said get out." The Time Lord repeated.

"I have to evaluate what you've discovered." The Colonel flashed him a glare. "Show me what you've found out, then.

"Of course, Colonel." The Doctor muttered. "I'll do everything you say, Colonel."

While the Colonel looked carefully at the ruined globe, the Doctor continued scribbling on his piece of paper. Unknown to the others, he was actually drawing a very detailed picture of everything he could remember about his enemy – difficult since they were memory-proof. The Doctor chewed the end of the pencil before quickly sketching a suit and a tie below the head. He was done.

"What's that?" the Colonel asked, peering over the Doctor's shoulder at the drawing.

"The aliens causing your destruction." The Doctor said darkly. "And the order that want to kill me."

The Colonel took the picture. "How do you know it's them?"

The Doctor explained how the Silence were memory-proof, so you couldn't remember them while you weren't looking at them, and how all of the witnesses to the destruction couldn't remember what had happened exactly, only that fires were breaking out and buildings were being smashed. The Colonel listened intently, eager to learn about these new aliens.

"And they want to kill you?"

The Doctor nodded. "Well, not exactly kill me; they just don't want me to remain alive."

Colonel Mace frowned. "Isn't that the same as killing?"

"I'm quoting a friend, here." The Doctor filed through the papers again and carefully examined the peaks in the Rift charts. "Strange though… they're not usually this active… something must be happening to lure them out…"

Amy and Rory brought the Doctor a cup of tea over and he sipped at it thoughtfully. The Silence were time sensitive creatures. Something would have to happen to the Rift for them to be so active. The Doctor considered his options before turning to the Colonel.

"I'm going to need a certain Captain Jack Harkness here right now." He smiled. "It's time for the Doctor to finally get involved with Torchwood."

…..

The Doctor stood slightly behind Mace, Martha and Mickey as the Torchwood SUV approached the UNIT terminal slowly. Blue lights were flashing as the car raced towards them on the tarmac and Amy couldn't help but feel a little impressed. The Doctor had mentioned Torchwood once or twice before, but he had always had a doubtful, untrusting look on his face.

The Doctor leaned in and whispered in Martha's ear, "What year is this?"

"2010." Martha whispered back. "Why?"

"Oh… it's just that… you've worked for Torchwood a bit, haven't you?"

Martha looked surprised. "How did you know that?"

"I have an informant."

"Meaning Jack."

"He keeps me posted." The Doctor said innocently.

The SUV skidded to a halt a few metres in front of them and the doors crashed open. A handsome man wearing a long military coat clambered out first from the driver's side, with a dark haired pretty woman slipping out of the passenger seat. Two men, one dark haired and one light haired scrambled out of the back seats followed by a Chinese woman holding two massive computer cases.

Captain Jack Harkness approached Mace, Martha and Mickey, who had stepped forwards to meet them. "The nightingale's song never ends." Jack chuckled as he hugged Martha tightly. "Martha Smith! Good to see you again! And Mickey Mouse." He added, winking at Mickey.

"Nice to see you again, Captain Cheesecake." Mickey laughed as he gave Jack a manly squeeze.

Amy leaned in on the Doctor. "What's with the goofy names?"

"They used to travel with me. Together. Mickey Mouse and Captain Cheesecake competed to see who would become the tin dog."

Rory raised his eyebrows. "Tin dog?"

"The companion ranking second."

"Wait…" Rory gaped. "I'm your tin dog!"

"Yes, Rory. You're my tin dog." The Doctor laughed at Rory's embarrassed face.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

**Kids with guns do not appeal to the Doctor at all**

Captain Jack greeted the Colonel respectively before noticing the three standing a little way back. One of them was a handsome young man with a whip of dark hair wearing tweed and a bowtie, looking eccentric, with a pretty red-head by his side, and a light haired nervous-looking man bouncing up and down beside them. Martha had mentioned to him on the phone that the Doctor had regenerated, but he didn't know which one of them was the Doctor.

Jack strode towards them happily and looked at them all one by one. He pointed at the long-nosed nervous man. "Doctor?"

"No. I'm Rory. He's the Doctor." Rory said, pointing at the man in the tweed.

The Doctor smiled at him. "Hello, Jack."

"Doctor. Nice face." Jack took in the Doctor's new look quickly before turning to the pretty red-head. "And who may you be? Captain Jack Harkness, at your service."

"Don't." the Doctor warned. "She's married."

"I don't mind." Amy whispered to him. "He's fit." She turned back to Jack. "Amy Pond, companion of the Doctor, at your service." She gave a little curtsey. Jack shot her a dashing smile.

The woman from Jack's team with the dark hair, Gwen Cooper, rolled her eyes and smacked Jack on the arm. "Stop flirting with every single person you see, Jack."

"Hello again, Gwen Cooper." The Doctor greeted her politely.

She smiled. "Hi, Doctor. Nice face."

"That's what I said." Jack whined.

"Shut up, Jack." Gwen shot Jack a fierce look. She turned back to the Doctor and his companions. "And you must be Amy and Rory, yeah? I'm Gwen Cooper. Second in command."

"No! I'm second in command!" the dark haired man from Torchwood called back.

"_Shut up, Owen!_" Gwen yelled at him. "In your dreams, Harper!"

"I'm guessing you all get along then?" Rory asked, laughing nervously.

Gwen sighed. "We're all just kids at heart."

"Kids with guns." The Doctor said, a dark shadowy look crossing his face.

"Doc, you know it's necessary." Jack rolled his eyes.

"First of all, it's Doctor, not Doc. And secondly, I get along fine without a gun."

Jack ignored him and began introducing members of his team. "You've met Gwen Cooper, obviously." Gwen waved. "This is Doctor Owen Harper." The dark man flashed a grin at Amy. "Toshiko Sato, computer genius." The Chine woman smiled. "And Ianto Jones, the coffee man."

"The coffee man?" Rory shot a sympathetic look at Ianto.

"Yeah. I make coffee, clean up after them and get them everywhere on time."

The Doctor frowned at Toshiko. "I've met you before. In London. Slitheen were trying to take over the city. You helped me with the Space Pig."

"Yeah." Tosh smiled. "I remember. Nice face."

"That's what I said!" Gwen and Jack cried out at the exact same time, causing everybody to laugh.


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

**Why is it that the Doctor always seems to get into trouble?**

"So… basically, we've got aliens you can't remember ever seeing taking over Earth." Jack concluded.

They had all listened to the Doctor's explanation for ten minutes, as he had told them about everything that had happened to him involving the Silence: President Nixon, America, Apollo 11, River Song and the alternative time line with the first Question. The Doctor didn't know if they understood or not, but he was just glad that he hadn't had to keep it a secret from them.

"Yes." Amy nodded at him. "But the thing is, the Silence usually just stay in the shadows. Something's happened that's caused them to emerge. "

"Well, we've got all Rift readings on Tosh's laptop. We can start from there." Gwen suggested.

"Good idea." The Doctor commended. "Tosh, what's been the normal Rift energy levels for the last five years?"

Tosh tapped on her laptop, finding the results before stating, "Five point seven."

The Doctor paced around the room, in deep thought. "Okay… five point seven… not bad. And what are the Rift readings since the destruction started?"

Tosh typed on her lap top again before answering, "Five point eight."

The Doctor paled. "Oh no. No no no. This is bad, this is very, very bad."

"Doctor, it only went point one up on the readings." Amy pointed out.

"Yes and that could be the difference of life and death! Five point eight, that's very, very, very bad. Might have to go and stop the Silence then."

"_Might_?" Colonel Mace sounded annoyed. "Weren't you going to already?"

"Of course not. I don't need to. As soon as the Silence find out I'm still alive, they'll stop and come after me. But… five point eight." The Doctor shook his head. "That's over the scale."

"So you're going to stop them?" Mickey asked hopefully.

"Well, I don't technically need to, you see. Whenever somebody sees a Silent, they'll kill it. That's what I programmed the human brain to do. Long story, very long ago, but we can just let the human race do their thing."

"We'll be okay then?"

"Oh yeah, totally fine." The Doctor smiled. "Nothing to worry about. Only need to worry if those readings become five point nine."

"Er, Doctor? The readings just changed to five point nine."

The Doctor whipped around, terrified. "WHAT?"

Tosh burst out laughing. "No, it's okay, I was kidding. Your face though…. That's priceless!"

Amy smirked. "I know, right?"

"And you get it all the time! You lucky things!" Ianto chuckled.

"Yeah. You should have seen his face when River snogged him."

"River _snogged _him?" Jack roared with laughter. "God, I would have given my _life _to see that! And that's a lot, seeing as I'm immortal."

The Colonel, though, did not seem in a good mood for banter. "So we're safe, Doctor?"

The Doctor sighed. "What did I just tell you? Yes, the human race, is perfectly safe. So far, from what I've read, nobody has died due to the destruction. And nobody will."

"Right." Colonel Mace said, nodding her head. "Right. Okay. Soldiers, cuff him."


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8**

**Getting arrested is not a good thing apparently**

"What?" the Doctor looked stunned.

Four men approached him and grabbed him, pulling him from the chair, snapping hand cuffs on his wrists and tying them behind his back. The Doctor's expression was of shock as they put their hands on his shoulders and guided him away towards the door.

"But you can't do that!" Amy yelled. "That's against all legal rights!"

"He's an alien, he doesn't have legal rights." Colonel Mace stated.

"Oi! I certainly do have legal rights!" The Doctor shouted back. "Ask the Shadow Proclamation!"

"Sorry, Doctor. But you're UNIT property now."

Jack jumped up and raised his gun, and the rest of his team followed his lead. Martha and Mickey just gaped not knowing what to do. The Doctor tried struggling, but he couldn't break free. Two other soldiers were forced to restrain Amy, who was looking extremely murderous, while Rory just sat on the sofa looking terrified.

"Let the Doctor go, or I'll shoot." Jack warned Mace, aiming his gun at her. His eyes flickered to the Doctor. "Bet you're glad I have to gun _now_."

"Doctor, you're under arrest under Section 136, Rule 27 of the Official UNIT rulebook."

"That doesn't even exist!" the Doctor cried out, fighting with the soldiers as he tried to get back over to Jack and his friends.

"Doctor, if you resist, I'm afraid we'll have to sedate you."

The Doctor suddenly looked fearful. Amy turned to Jack and shot him a curious gaze. What was it about drugs that terrified the Doctor so much? To everybody's astonishment, the Doctor stopped struggling and bowed his head. He seemed to except the fact that he was under arrest.

"Doctor! Don't stop fighting!" Amy seethed. "They're just drugs, they can't hurt you."

The Colonel slowly smiled at the Doctor's forlorn, defeated expression, realising. "Actually Amy, I think you'll find that they can."

"I'm allergic to most drugs." The Doctor explained quietly in his strained, terrified voice. Especially Earth drugs."

"But… you'll just get an allergic reaction, you'll be fine." Amy said in a quiet voice.

The Doctor appeared even more scared. "No Amy. You see, Time Lords have a completely unique biology to humans. Just a simple drug such as aspirin could kill me."

The Doctor's friends finally understood. If the Doctor struggled they would give him drugs. And they could possibly kill him. And they didn't want that. Slowly, the Torchwood team lowered their guns and slid them back into their holsters. Amy stopped fighting. Martha and Mickey just stared at the floor. The Colonel seemed pleased at this reaction.

She turned to the soldier holding the Doctor by his right soldier. "Okay, put him under."

"WHAT?" the Doctor's expression switched to pure horror as the soldier pulled out a syringe. He began to fight again, with a new purpose – staying alive. "But you CAN'T!"

"Oh, I think you'll find, Doctor, that I can."

The Doctor's friends gasped as the needle was plunged into the Time Lord's arm and the clear liquid was injected into him. The effect was instantaneous. The Doctor stopped fighting. His eyes began dilated and hazy. He paled and began to shiver. His hearts began to speed up and slow down, uncontrollably. There was nothing he could do. He couldn't control himself. He passed out and slid to the ground, his eyes half open and half closed.

"DOCTOR!" Amy screeched, yanking herself away from the soldiers restraining her and falling to her knees beside him. Fretting, she said, "Somebody give me a stethoscope! _Quickly_!"

Martha pulled out a stethoscope and Amy snatched it off her. Rory knelt down beside the Doctor and did the examination, since he was a nurse. He pressed it to the left side of his chest before switching it to the right side. He sighed in relief, but Amy's eyes were still full of worry. "He's not dead. His hearts are slowly down quickly though and the drug is spreading in his blood." Rory told them.

Amy glowered at Colonel Mace. "What exactly was that drug?"

"Not aspirin, if you're going to ask. Just a little concoction of my own. A basic knock out drug, with something to make the person relax as well."

"Well, congratulations." Rory snapped back at her. "You made the Doctor relax all right – relax straight into a coma!"

For the first time since Amy had met her, the Colonel finally looked concerned for the Time Lord. Then, the expression vanished from her face seconds after it had appeared. She nodded at the soldiers. "Cell 37. Make sure it's _clean_. And make sure we have medics on stand by."

Jack, Martha, Mickey, Amy, Rory, Gwen, Owen, Tosh and Ianto watched miserably as the limp unconscious Doctor was picked up and carried out of the room towards the cell block.

"You're all free to go." The Colonel waved at them dismissively.

Amy and Jack glanced at each other. They were both thinking exactly the same thing. Slowly, they sat down on the chairs and crossed their arms. Martha and Mickey frowned, knowing what they were planning. Gwen sat down beside Jack, and Rory settled beside his wife. Only a minute later, all of them were sat down on the sofas, refusing to move.

"We're not leaving." Amy said firmly. "Not until we know that the Doctor's okay."


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER 9**

**Drugs are bad for you, period, exclamation mark**

When the Doctor awoke, it was four days after the incident of the drugs. Groaning loudly, he found that not only could he move, he couldn't breath either. He wasn't dead, he just couldn't breath. And he found himself forcing his emergency oxygen supply on, because since his lungs were so large, they could contain a small amount of oxygen inside them for emergency purposes. The Doctor was in a bed, with a blanket on top of him. He was in a cell. The walls were painted a dull grey, but other than that, the cell was okay. It had a bed, a chest, a wardrobe, a screen, a table, a chair and it a private cubicle, a toilet. It wasn't that bad.

But the Doctor still found he couldn't breath. And he couldn't move. He instantly realised that he'd slipped into a coma. Was this what awaking from one was like? His eyesight swam slightly as voices spoke quietly in his ears. He could tell there were people looking down at him, but he couldn't tell who. _Most likely scientists, _the Doctor thought,_ or medics_. As his eyesight cleared, he realised it was neither.

"Amy." He whispered.

Amy smiled down at him sadly. "Hey, Doctor."

"Where am I?" What a stupid question. He knew where he was. He just wanted somebody else to say it for him.

"Cell 37 in the UNIT base." Amy said grimly, but still smiling down at him, trying to reassure him. "Apparently, that's an honour. Don't know why. How do you feel?"

"Bad." The Doctor replied, his voice croaky. "Really, very bad. What happened?"

"You don't remember?"

"I remember hand cuffs and a needle… that's it."

"Well, the Colonel arrested you for some reason. You were struggling and I think Jack nearly shot Mace's head off. They said they would sedate you if you fought and then you stopped. I think you said something about human drugs killing you or something. We all stopped trying to save you but then they injected you with this drug anyway. You started burning up and you passed out."

The Doctor's throat tightened. "What drug was it?"

"Nothing to kill you." Amy said quickly. "A knock out drug and some relaxing thing. It was meant to just put you to sleep but you slipped into a coma. Rory was really annoyed. He started shouting at Mace when they took you away."

"Was it entertaining?"

"Jack and Owen were in fits afterward, so, yes, it was very entertaining." Amy looked around, worried. "I should go. I'm not even meant to be here."

"Please stay!" the Doctor begged her. "I don't want to be alone!"

Amy looked around outside, twirling the sonic screwdriver around in her fingers (Mickey had stolen it from the archives) and sighing. "Okay, just for a while."

The Doctor muttered his thanks to Rassilon in Old High Gallifreyan as he didn't have to be alone. Amy shot him a weird look, since she couldn't understand, but sat on the bed beside him, waiting for him to fall asleep. The Doctor felt exhausted, but he couldn't sleep, mostly because he felt very, very hot and cold on the inside.

Amy frowned and pressed a hand to his forehead. "You're burning up. I'm going to get a medic."

"No!" the Doctor pleaded. "No medics! No needles! No drugs."

"Okay…" Amy took some tablets out of her pocket. "Are you allergic to Calpol?" she asked, holding up the box. She rolled her eyes at the Doctor's terrified expression. "Really? You're allergic to Calpol too? Blimey, it must be hard when you get ill."

"Don't get ill." The Doctor croaked. "I'm fine."

Amy flipped open her mobile and dialled in Rory's number. It rung a few times before he answered it. _Hello?_

"Rory, are there any drugs the Doctor isn't allergic too?"

_How would I know?_

"You're the nurse."

_Is he allergic to Calpol then? _Rory chuckled insanely. _Oh my god, he is, isn't he? The Doctor's allergic to Calpol!_

"This isn't funny, Rory. He's burning up. What should I do?"

_I love Calpol, especially the strawberry flavoured one…. Okay, just get a cold cloth for now and dab his head with it. I'm coming._

"Okay, got it." Amy snapped her phone shut and slipped it back into her pocket. She reached into the medical kit at the side of the bed, and fished out a cold pack, bashing it against the floor before wrapping it in her scarf and placing it on the Doctor's head. He moaned slightly, cringing away from the cold before relaxing and closing his eyes.

Rory crept into the cell, another first aid kit in his hand. He knelt down beside the Doctor and took his temperature with a thermometer before adjusting the cold pad. "How do you feel?"

"Like I said to Amy; really, very bad."

"Just side effects, you'll be fine tomorrow." Rory told the Time Lord with a grin. "Just get some sleep, okay? And that's Rory' the nurse' talking, not Rory 'will draw on your face while you sleep'."

The Doctor sighed, turned over and a few minutes later his breathing slowed down and his chest began to rise and fall steadily. Rory was glad that the Doctor had listened to him, and joined Amy by the doorway.

"You gonna stay with him?" Rory asked his wife.

"Yeah." Amy mumbled. "Don't wanna leave him alone."

Rory nodded. "Okay. I'll send Martha down here later to give him some medicine."

"The Doctor hates medicine." Amy pointed out.

"I'll owe you if you help me hold him down." Rory winked at her, before leaving the cell with a quick sweep of the surrounding corridors.

"Yeah." Amy said, sitting back down on the Doctor's bed next to him. "You'll owe me. A banana, a cup of tea and a jammy dodger."


	10. Chapter 10

**HELLO PEOPLE OF SOL 3! Yes, it's Alexia. Since I'm going back to school soon, i'm only going to post these first 10 chapters. then, hopefully, i will start uploading a chapter a week. thank you all!**

**pls preview if you want more. believe me, theres a lot more to come. and it just gets better and better... ;)**

**CHAPTER 10**

**Doctor the idiot**

Martha quickly made her way down to the cell block, with Mickey watching her back for any guards. They were meant to be with Jack and the Torchwood team back in their office, since the Colonel had said she wasn't responsible for them. But Rory had called saying that the Doctor needed medicine.

"I can't believe the Doc's allergic to Calpol." Mickey grumbled. "I love Calpol!"

"Shut up, Mickey!" Martha hissed.

When Martha and Mickey reached the cells, they ran down the corridor and skidded to a halt beside Cell 37. The door was open, so they slipped inside. Amy was silently stroking the Doctor's head, playing with his messy brown curls of hair. The Doctor was sleeping. It was the first time that Mickey and Martha had ever seen the Doctor actually sleeping. His breathing was quite quick, so Martha suspected the fever had gotten worse in the last hour.

"How is he?" Mickey whispered, shuffling closer and sitting next to Amy on the Doctor's bed.

"The fever's worse, but I've managed to cool him down a bit." Amy didn't look from stroking the Doctor's head. "Rory wants him under drugs to help him sleep, but I don't think that's right."

"Okay." Martha said. She took Amy's thoughts into account. "No drugs. Just sleep."

Amy looked up, surprised. "You think I'm right?"

"You're his companion." Martha said simply. "You know what's best for him."

The Doctor mumbled in Gallifreyan while he slept and turned over again, his hands held to his chest and legs curled up in a foetus position. He looked very ill and very hot. Martha looked at Amy smiling down at him with a motherly expression and the Doctor sleeping under the blanket. They were a bit like brother and sister.

"The Doctor is _such _an idiot sometimes." Mickey murmured. "It should be Doctor the idiot."

"That doesn't work as well." the Doctor's croaky voice answered back. The Doctor shifted over to reveal he was awake. His ears were red and puffy and he had purple circles under his eyes. He looked exhausted. "It's always going to be Mickey the idiot. Don't bump your nickname." His eyes flashed to Amy and he said, with a small smile, "Hey."

Amy grinned at him, her eyes filled with sorrow. "Hey. How are you doing?"

The Doctor snorted. "What do ya think?"

"Well, you still seem to be rude." Martha teased him.

"Rude and not ginger." The Doctor said.

Martha groaned. "What is it with that obsession? Let it go already!"

"No. One day, I will be ginger." The Doctor flashed another smile. "And gingers will rule the world!"

"I'm your deputy." Amy told him sternly. "You'll need somebody to keep you in line."

"'Kay." The Doctor replied back. He turned to Martha, a glint in his eye, but his smile gone. "No drugs, alright? I don't think I can cope with anymore."

Martha nodded. "That's fine with me. Just sleep."

"Rassilon, what is it with humans and sleeping?" the Doctor breathed, chuckling under his breath. "I've already slept for Rory the nurse."

"Well, I'm Martha the Doctor so you have to listen to me." Martha teased him even more.

The Doctor smiled. "I wish it was like this all the time."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I wish that I could just push away my hate for your job and like you as you every day."

Martha and Mickey glanced at each other. "Doctor, you got me this job." Martha reminded him.

He sighed. "I know. What a stupid mistake."

Mickey punched the air. "Yes, I got it! I'm Mickey the idiot, you're stupid Doctor."

Martha and Amy rolled their eyes while the Doctor and Mickey started arguing about whose nickname was the best. Boys could be such amateurs.


	11. Chapter 11

**I'll be starting to update this weekly NOW. every friday each week, sometimes saturday morning**

**pls review! i love reviews!**

**CHAPTER 11**

**More drugs, seriously?**

Suddenly, there were raised voices. The Doctor and Mickey stopped arguing and froze. Martha and Amy looked at each other in terror. Amy and Martha jumped into the wardrobe while Mickey hid in the toilet cubicle. The Doctor closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep.

There was a quick buzz of the Doctor's screwdriver as Amy soniced it shut. The Doctor turned away so he was facing the wall. There was a fiddling of keys outside the cell and moments later the door swung open.

The Colonel, along with three medics and a scientist, strolled in. The stood and watched the Doctor 'sleep' for at least five minutes.

"Time to administer the drug." One medic announced.

Martha's heart leapt into her throat. Drugs. Again. The Doctor. They were going to drug the Doctor again. She could tell by the Doctor's terrified pants that he had heard, but Martha thanked him that he did not panic. But they needed to stop that needle.

The medic swooped down and prepared to jab the Doctor with the needle. The Doctor yelped, jumped up and ran to the corner of the room, cowering. The Colonel did not look surprised. Maybe she had expected this kind of reaction.

"Doctor, we're trying to help you. It's just paracetamol."

"Allergic to paracetamol." The Doctor trembled.

"Are you allergic to nurofen?"

The Doctor nodded. Martha rolled her eyes, squeezed into the wardrobe next to Amy. She heard Amy mutter "Sheesh" under breath. Was there any drug the Doctor wasn't allergic to? This was getting ridiculous.

"Well, it's the only medicine we have. Sorry, Doctor, but that needle's going in."

As the three medics began to approach the Doctor, he did something that truly shocked all of the Doctor's friends who were hiding in his cell. He wailed. The Doctor actually wailed. And he didn't just wail. He wailed somebody's name.

"AMY!" the Doctor screeched in fear.


	12. Chapter 12

**I couldn't help but upload this... i think its a nice cliff hanger for next week. everybdoy enjoy Doctor WHo Series 7 Asylum of the Daleks tomorrow!**

**Pls review, and thanks to those who ahve decided to follow and favourite!**

**CHAPTER 12**

**Negotiation**

Amy burst out of the wardrobe and raced towards the Doctor. The Doctor threw his arms around her and hid behind his companion as if he was a scared kid. Amy stood in front of the Doctor, her arms crossed, glaring murderously at the Colonel.

"No." Amy growled.

There was no point in hiding. Martha stepped out of the wardrobe and Mickey emerged from the toilet cubicle. Nobody looked that shocked to see them. Once Martha and Mickey were standing in front of the Doctor and Amy, the Time Lord and companion hugged.

The Colonel sighed, tapping her foot against the ground impatiently. "Look, Doctor. If you want to get better, you're going to need to accept our help."

"Don't need help." The Doctor shook his head weakly. "I have help already."

"How come you're not getting better?"

"I am getting better!" the Doctor shouted indignantly.

The Colonel raised her eyebrows. "You certainly seem better."

"Thanks very much." The Doctor said, sarcasm dripping into his voice.

"Doctor, since your UNIT property now –"

"-Obedient little Time Lord puppy." The Doctor muttered to himself.

"-You're going to have to work for us." The Colonel finished.

The Doctor took the sonic from Amy and said, "Okay, but I have certain conditions."

At the word okay, the Colonel looked stunned. She hadn't expected the Doctor to give in to her demands so quickly. "Er… go on then." She said awkwardly.

"Firstly, I want to take Amy and Rory back to their own time zone. 2012, not that far, just a two year hop. Secondly, I want the TARDIS and my sonic screwdriver back. Thirdly, I want all Saturdays, Sundays and Thursdays off. Fourthly, I will not test any drugs. Fifthly, I will not carry a gun. Sixthly, I will not harm anybody on purpose. Seventhly, I will not carry out any tests on other aliens. Eighthly, I don't want people to be following me around every second of the day. Ninthly, I want full access to the kitchen. Tenthly, I work my own hours. And then –"

"I think that's enough demands, Doctor." The Colonel said firmly. "Alright, you can have all of those privileges."

"But I didn't finish my last one."

Mace rolled her eyes, sighing. "Fine. What is it?"

The Doctor stared at her. "I have my own freedom."

"What?"

"I want to be able to take my TARDIS and resume my usual job on my days off." The Doctor said plainly.

The Colonel stared. "You don't have a job."

"Actually, you'll find that I do. The Universe hasn't survived this long without a little help. I _am _that help. I save planets. I save people." The Doctor told her gently. "That is my job. And I will protect this planet until the day I drop."

Everybody gazed at him in wonder. The medics burst into applause. Martha found herself wiping tears from her eyes as she joined in. Mickey was wailing, tears pouring down his face. Amy was just hugging the Doctor very, very, tightly.

"Nice speech." The Colonel stated. Was that a tear she wiped away. "And you can have Fridays off as well. Just so you can do that job."

"Thanks." The Doctor looked a little embarrassed.

"What's going on?" Jack and his team, along with Rory, were standing, baffled in the doorway. They stared at Martha and Mickey crying, Amy hugging and the medics applauding. What the hell was going on?

"Doctor, why is my wife hugging you?" Rory asked him.

"The Doctor just gave a most inspiring speech." The Colonel explained. "And I think it might have impressed them. A bit."

Jack shrugged and joined Amy with the hug. Owen and Tosh just stood there staring in puzzlement. Gwen frowned at the scientist, who was watching the Time Lord with fascination… Gwen couldn't help but glare at the woman, who for some reason looked very familiar to her: a woman, with dark hair and an eye patch…


	13. Chapter 13

**I can't be bothered to upload this every friday so i'll just do it when i can and that with be like EVERY DAY. Pls REVIEW! LOADS MORE TO COME!**

**CHAPTER 13**

**The Doctor. The Oncoming Storm. The Destroyer of Worlds.**

Gwen raised her gun and pointed it at Madame Kovarian. Everybody stopped crying and hugging and gaped, not understanding what was going on. Kovarian just smiled at Gwen. Gwen kept her eyes locked onto the wretched woman in front of her. Somehow, she _knew _her.

The Doctor recognised the woman immediately and narrowed his eyes at her menacingly. He was no longer the Doctor. He was the Oncoming Storm. "Kovarian." He named her coldly.

Amy suddenly had a murderous look her eyes and she screamed and launched herself towards the woman. The Doctor grabbed her waist and tried to pull her back, but he was still too weak. Luckily, Jack and Owen were able to hold her fast. "You stole my baby, you witch!" Amy shrieked.

Kovarian turned to the Doctor, her cold eyes dancing. "You finally realised what those words meant, didn't you Doctor?"

"Stop this. Stop this right now." He warned her.

"You didn't tell your wife…"

"Stop it!"

"…or your best friend…"

"Kovarian, stop this now!"

"…or any of your companions." She finished with a mocking grin.

Amy and Jack wheeled around to face the Doctor and were shocked when they saw his face. His eyes were tortured, his face forlorn. There was something he wasn't telling them. The Oncoming Storm looked terrible. He was ill, but he was also heart broken. And both of them were broken. Because he knew what Kovarian was talking about.

"Don't you dare." He whispered.

Kovarian turned to face the companions, the Torchwood team, the medics and the Colonel. "Friends and companions of the Doctor. I would even say enemies in some cases. The Doctor has been lying to you. Rule 1: the Doctor lies. You probably know that by now. The Doctor is going to die. There was prophecy. _On the fields of Trenzalore, at the fall of the Eleventh, a question will be asked. And silence will fall when the question is asked. _But the Doctor knows what that question is. And he also knows the answer. And when the question is asked, he will die. Because the answer to that question could rip the universe apart. Because that question is simply, 'Doctor who?'"

The Doctor was broken. Forever broken. No. His greatest secret. His own name. His own name could tear the heavens apart, and now his companions knew it. His companions knew that he was going to die.

"Doctor…." Kovarian continued. "The Doctor chose his name, like the rest of the Time Lords. At eight years old, he was entered in the Academy. He made friends, like the Master and the Rani. But he ran. He ran from destiny. And he destroyed it all. The Destroyer of Worlds, the Oncoming Storm, makes you realise why he has those names. The Doctor doesn't like guns. He doesn't like killing. But I'll tell you something – the Doctor butchered _thousands_. He murdered _millions_. Millions of innocent people."

Amy could hardly believe it. "Doctor." She breathed. "Tell me it isn't true."

The Doctor just hung his head. It was all true. Every single word she had said was true. For a thousand years he had tried to forget it. But now it was all falling back onto him. And what a weight it was.

"Leave Kovarian." He ordered her. "Go. Now."

Kovarian smirked at the weakness of his voice. She tapped into her vortex manipulator and with a crackle of electricity and a puff of smoke, she vanished. The Doctor stayed silent for a moment. He stared at the place she had disappeared. And he walked away. He had tried to walk away from his past. He had tried to run. But running hadn't worked. The past always catches up with you. And the Doctor found himself wishing he had never been born.


	14. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER 14**

**No forgiveness this time around, well, maybe a little bit**

It started with a series of texts. The apologies. The Doctor had Martha's old phone, and had changed the profile. He sent them to everybody.

_DOC: I'm sorry._

_AMY: …._

_JACK: yeah._

_MARTHA: mmm._

_DOC: Can you forgive me?_

_RORY: youre the reason they stole my baby_

_DOC: I'm an idiot_

_MICKEY: congrats you've finlly realised._

_AMY: I would say I forgive you, but I'm not going to. Because I'm tired of the lies. Why didn't you tell me?_

_DOC: I'm so stupid Amy. I didn't trust myself. I'm going to die and theres nothing I can do about it. Pls don't be mad. You're my best friend. I don't think I would be able to cope with more heartbreak…. #|_

_JACK: Doc, don't blame yaself._

_DOC: So… you forgive me?_

_JACK: no._

_DOC: oh…._

_RORY: Doctor?_

_MICKEY: wheres he gone?_

_JACK: ?_

_MARTHA: r u there doc?_

When the Doctor seemingly vanished from the conversation, the others started to get worried. The truth was that they did forgive him; they could totally understand why he had done it. But for some reason they felt like lying to him. Maybe because he had lied to them.

While the others searched the labs and offices, Rory decided to get straight to it. TARDIS. Rory found the TARDIS in one of the archives, looking a bit battered but fine. As soon as Rory took out his key, the TARDIS hummed warningly. He fitted the key and the lock and attempted to get in, but it seemed that the Doctor's ship would simply not let him.

"Look, I want to help him, okay?" Rory lied. He was actually planning to murder the Time Lord on the spot for being the reason the Silence had kidnapped his daughter.

The TARDIS threw a blast of powerful wind at him and he was forced backwards, away from the door, as the TARDIS gave another hum. Rory became very, very annoyed and kicked the TARDIS doors. They would not open.

Rory sighed. "Okay, if I promise not to kill him, will you let me in?" He felt completely stupid talking to the Doctor's ship, but the Doctor had always said that the TARDIS could understand him, and its occupants; that the TARDIS was like a person.

The TARDIS emitted a low purr, and slowly, the doors unlocked and one of them swung open slightly. Still feeling a little stupid, Rory grabbed the handle for the door and stepped inside. He was immediately bathed in tangerine light and he slammed the doors shut behind him. The Doctor was leaning on one of the sides of the console, his expression distant and solemn. As Rory's trainers made contact with the glass steps, creating a soft _whump_, the Doctor looked up. When he saw Rory, he jumped off the console and shouted out.

"TARDIS, force field please, and quickly." The Doctor fretted.

Seconds later a slightly blue tinged force field appeared around the Doctor, rippling like water. The Doctor stood, warily, inside of it, watching Rory's every move.

"I won't hurt you." Rory said. It pained him to say it, but it was true. He would never be able to hurt the Doctor, especially since he was still in an ill state.

The Doctor still looked unconvinced, his eyes old and untrusting. He fidgeted for a moment before stating, "I'm sorry, Rory."

"Yeah. I know." Rory couldn't help but smile at the Time Lord. Sometimes the Doctor was just so _human_; apologising all the time, acting like a lost little boy not knowing where to go or what to say. "Just saying, nobody actually hates you. They just want you to feel bad. Nobody could really stay mad at you, not really."

A spark of hope lit up in the Time Lord's eyes. "Really?"

"You seriously have no idea what effect you have on people?" Rory was surprised. Normally, when the Doctor was around, people began falling over themselves, trying to impress him or get him to like him. And those who knew him tried to protect him. Did the Doctor not know?

"No." the Doctor whimpered. "You and Amy are the first companions I've really paid attention to…" He looked up at Rory desperately. "Don't tell Martha, Mickey or Jack that I said that."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Rory promised with a grin.

"It's just that… whenever I leave somebody behind, or they leave me..." The Doctor explained slowly. "…like Jack and Martha…. I hurt afterwards. And they hurt too. When they realise that they've lost the privilege of time travel, they hurt. But they just have _no idea _what it's like for me. And… for some reason, I don't want to hurt you or Amy like they hurt me."

Rory smiled at the Doctor and asked the TARDIS to take the force field down. He clapped the Doctor on the back before saying, in a small voice, "I don't think it's losing the privilege of time travel that makes them hurt, Doctor."

The Doctor snapped his head up, surprised. "Really?"

"No. I think it's losing _you_."

The Doctor hung his head. Rory felt sorry for him. How many people he had loved had he lost? "So…they're not mad?"

Rory snorted. "Of course they're mad!"

"Oh…"

"But not in the way you think." Rory added mysteriously.


	15. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER 15**

**A pink frilly dress**

And so Rory and the Doctor decided they would leave all of the other companions behind, including Amy, escape UNIT, never return to Earth again and travel together for the rest of eternity.

Suddenly, a young teenage girl with thick dark auburn hair, wearing jeans and a checked t-shirt (a similar one to Amy's, actually), burst into the TARDIS, waving her red sonic screwdriver about and shouting. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! You can't just leave Amy and the others behind!"

The Doctor was stunned. "How did you get into the TARDIS? Who _are _you?"

The girl crossed her arms. "I'm the writer of this story. I control it. My name is Alexia Blackbriar, and if you think you can just abandon those people out there that care for you, Doctor, then you are soo _wrong!_"

The Doctor blinked. "You're the… _writer_?"

Rory shook his head. "I seriously do _not _understand what is going on."

Alexia sighed, rolling her dark amber eyes and tapping her foot on the TARDIS's glass flooring. "Look, basically, I'm following you guys around and writing out your adventure. But not only am I writing out your adventure, I'm _controlling_ your adventure. So, I say, you cannot leave Martha, Mickey, Jack and Amy behind. Period, exclamation mark."

"You can't tell me what to do!" the Doctor fumed.

Alexia raised an eyebrow. "How about, for the amusement for those reading this story, I decide to change your clothes to a pink frilly dress?"

"You can't do that!" the Doctor laughed.

"Oh, ya think?" Alexia pointed her red sonic screwdriver at the Doctor and activated it. The Doctor's tweed jacket, bow tie and braces vanished and were replaced by a short, _extremely _pink frilly dress. "What do you think, Rory?"

"I'm under your command." Rory said simply, trying not to laugh at the Doctor's shocked and glowing red face as he attempted to pull the dress down to cover up.

Alexia Blackbriar snapped her fingers and the Doctor's frilly pink dress transformed once again into the Doctor's usual clothes. Alexia smirked at his expression, chucking her screwdriver up and down in the air.

"Okay." The Doctor mumbled, his ears going pink. "I'll go and talk to Amy and the others…"

Alexia smiled at him. "Good dog. Or should I say good Time Lord? I'm getting really confused now…" A vortex manipulator suddenly appeared on Alexia Blackbriar's wrist and she turned the dial on it, her finger poised on top of the button. "And, Doctor, if you do anything I don't like, I will be coming to have another little chat with you." She beamed ear to ear, like an evil scientist. "Goodbye!" She pressed the button and with a crack of lightning, vanished.

The Doctor and Rory glanced at each other before rushing towards the TARDIS doors, racing to get out and do Alexia Blackbriar's bidding before she returned again with another embarrassing punishment.


	16. Chapter 16

**DISCLAIMER: i do not own doctor who sadly. i wish i did. it never comes true though. CLIFF HANGER! thanks to all who favourited me!**

**CHAPTER 16**

**An unexpected murder**

Rory and the Doctor slowly approached the main office, not knowing what to think or expect, listening warily to the raised voices inside. When the Doctor pushed the Doctor open, biting his lip, he was shocked to see everybody (as in, the Colonel, Amy, Martha, Mickey, Jack, Gwen, Owen, Ianto and Tosh) relieved.

Jack grabbed the Doctor's arm and yanked him into the room, his relieved expression turning into one of alarm. "Doctor, someone has just been murdered!"

The Doctor gasped and immediately looked down at the computer screen, where the news was rolling out about a death at a car park in Bedfordshire. "What? What happened?!" he demanded, switching between gazing at the screen and staring at his friends

"We don't know." Amy told him, leaning in beside him. She flashed the Doctor an apologetic grin before continuing, "Apparently there was a witness, but…."

"But what?" the Doctor urged her.

Amy chewed on her lower lip, her eyes filled with terror and fear. "The witness can't remember." She whispered.

Everybody looked at the Doctor. He was stunned. A Silent had _murdered _somebody? An innocent person? A passer-by? A human? Without reason? Well, _that _wasn't expected at all. What kind of story was Alexia Blackbriar even writing? This was turning in a horror!

He immediately started researching on the laptop, mumbling the address to himself and tapping it into Google Earth. The results were immediate and the Doctor noted down the co-ordinates, taking a careful but detailed look at the positioning of the car park and the location, before sticking the post-it with the galactic co-ordinates in his jacket pocket.

"Right…come on, then. We've got a murder to investigate." The Doctor announced. "Everybody into the TARDIS, Rory will lead the way."

As everybody filed out of the room hurriedly, the Doctor zapped the laptop with his sonic, boosting the signal, before picking it up and rushing after his friends. He found though, that somebody had caught the sleeve of his right arm and when he turned, he found Colonel Mace tugging at his jacket.

Irritated, he said, "Look, you can come or you can push off. I really don't care, I just need to get to that crime scene."

And the Doctor turned and ran off again. He was surprised by the fact that not only was the Colonel following him, but she was silent. Racing into the doors of the open TARDIS, he dumped the laptop on Tosh's lap and began dancing around the console, flipping switches and pulling levers, occasionally asking Jack or Amy to pull or press random stuff.

"Nobody shoot at the Silent, if we find it." The Doctor told them as he twisted taps and slammed buttons. "I want to speak with it, so if you have to use the gun, just injure it." He glared at the Torchwood team, still despising the fact that they all possessed guns. "Got that?"

The TARDIS gave a lurch as she materialized with the familiar wheezing and groaning and the Doctor gave the console and pat before leaping out of the doors into the dismal town of Bedford. Clouds covered the sky, blocking the sun and droplets of water started to drizzle down.

The car park was positioned right in the middle of town, with nine floors, each floor holding over fifty cars. The Doctor flicked his wrist up and took a look at his watch. Thursday 20th September, 3.47pm. It wouldn't be busy, but it would have a few cars in.

However, none of those cars were going anywhere. Seventeen police cars had surrounded the car park, with over fifty officers, and three British Army vans were arriving, soldiers piling out of them. The TARDIS had parked herself straight in the middle of a gather of police cars, directly next to a group of police men and Army soldiers who were having a swift meeting.

One police man gaped. "But it… it just…"

The Doctor stuck out a hand. "Hello, I'm the Doctor, I work for Torchwood and UNIT." He fished out his psychic paper and flashed it at the gathered police men. "I need to get into that building – has the body been disturbed?"

"Not - not that we know of." Another policeman stuttered.

"Good. Okay, Amy, Rory, Colonel, Martha, Mickey, Jack, Gwen, Tosh, Owen, Ianto, blimey that's a lot of names, we're in!" he called back into the TARDIS.

"How did you do it?" Owen asked.

The Doctor flapped his psychic paper. "Ever heard of psychic paper before?"

"No."

"Then you will never possibly understand my brilliance, Doctor Harper."

The strange group quickly arranged where they would be searching in the car park. Rory would take the first floor, Gwen would take the second, Owen would search the third while Jack and the Doctor searched the forth, Ianto would take the fifth, Martha would take the sixth, Mickey and Amy the seventh, the Colonel the eight and lastly, Tosh would search the ninth. Quickly rushing into the building, they all prepared their cameras on their phones and the Torchwood team raised their guns, ready for action.

As the group scuttled off, the police men swore that they saw a couple standing behind the yellow police tape, staring up at the building: a dark haired young man wearing a pin-striped suit and a blonde carrying a yellow button device.


	17. Chapter 17

**CHAPTER 17**

**Surprise guest**

As Jack and the Doctor sprinted around the forth floor, Jack out of breath since he only had one heart, there was a crack as they squeezed through a small gap between a Toyota and an Audi. A teenage girl with auburn hair was suddenly following them, and Jack turned back to face her while still running, confused.

"Who the hell are you?"

"I'm a friend of the Doctor's, so shut up!" the girl snapped.

The Doctor swivelled around so he was running backwards, a smile playing at the edge of his lips. "Oh, god, what have I done wrong now?" he whined playfully.

"You know this chick?" Jack asked, wheezing.

"Yeah, she controls me." The Doctor said, grinning. "Alexia Blackbriar, what have I messed up this time?"

"Nothing." Alexia cried out happily. She wasn't out of breath either, much like the Doctor, as she clutched her sonic in her right hand. "I just wanted some fun so I decided to write in a murder so I could join you guys in the investigation. I like it when you work together, it usually ends with something exploding." She grinned evilly.

"Doctor, what in the name of Time is going on?" Jack spluttered.

"No time, Jack, I'll explain later." The Doctor promised the ex-Time Agent. "Alexia, since you wrote this story, or you're writing it, you must know where the murder victim is, yes?"

"She's in between a red Range Rover and a dark blue Volvo." Alexia laughed, grinning, because the Doctor knew her so well.

"And that means you know where the murderer is too, doesn't it?" Jack questioned her, attempted to catch up on the conversation.

Alexia's grin spread even wider as she raced across the tarmac. "You'd better give Mickey and Amy a call, Jacky-my-boy."

"Don't you _ever _call me that again." Jack moaned, panting.

"Actually, that kinda suits you."

"Shut up, Doc."

…..

Amy and Mickey paused, panting, back to back, in the centre of their floor. This car park was _huge_! How were they meant to find one dead person in all of these cars? Suddenly, Amy's mobile rang. She fished it out of her pocket and answered it quickly.

"Hello –"

"Pond, listen carefully. I have somebody here, not allowed to say who, but they know that a certain murderer is on your floor. So watch out, 'kay?"

And then the Doctor hung up. Amy stared at her phone for a moment before slipping it back into her pocket and running to join Mickey in the cover of a black Land Rover.

"Was that the Doc?" Mickey asked, whispered.

"Yep. Apparently, the murderer is on our floor."

"How does he know that?"

"I don't know, I just run when he tells me too, don't look at me!"

Mickey quickly took another pistol from his back and handed it to Amy. "Here, take this." He whispered.

Amy took the gun and said, plainly, "I don't know how to use it."

"What, do you need a diagram? You've never used one before?"

"The Doctor doesn't like me using guns. So…never." Amy admitted. "Although my daughter is quite talented…"

Suddenly, an engine started. It was around six cars away from them. Mickey and Amy slammed their backs into the Land Rover, their eyes wide and mouths open. Amy quickly shut her jaw and peeked through a window. There was nothing. Nothing coming towards them. Nothing that could kill them. Or was that the Silent telling her that?"

"Amy. Amy, what can you see?"

"Nothing." Amy replied quietly. "There's – there's nothing out there."

A scream rocked the ground slightly. Mickey and Amy glanced at each other. Wherever she was, Martha was in trouble.

…

"Shut UP, Martha!" Alexia yelled at her, her hands in the air.

Martha had screamed so loudly that the pigeons on the roof had scattered. She had been so surprised at the sudden appearance of the teenager that not only had she screeched, she had shot. Strangely though, the bullets seemed to have no effect on the teenager's body.

"Who… who are you?" Martha whispered.

"Doctor Martha Smith, my name is Alexia Blackbriar." Alexia introduced herself, with a quirky smile. "I'm a friend of the Doctor's. He asked me to come and check on you."

"God, you scared the living daylights out of me!"

"Sorry. Don't worry though, you're perfectly safe." Alexia calmed her, with a reassuring smile. "I made sure that Amy, Mickey, the Doctor and Jack got all the action in this chapter, so there's nothing to worry about."

"What do you mean?"

"Look, I really don't have the time to explain it. Just phone Owen, Ianto, Rory and the Colonel to check if their good, yeah? 'Cos I really can't be bothered to go through all of _that _again."

The girl pressed another button on her vortex manipulator, causing her to snap out of reality, leaving Martha alone on the car park floor. Martha was really not having a nice day.


	18. Chapter 18

**CHAPTER 18**

**Apples are cool**

"Oh, you poor thing." The Doctor murmured, pressing his hand to the twenty-one year old brunette girl's cheek, who was lying motionless on the tarmac, blood flowing out of the wound on her head. "Who did this to you, eh?"

"I think that's pretty obvious." Jack said nervously, flexing the hand around his gun, pointing it at the floor, searching the car park.

The Doctor shot him an irritated look and glared at the gun. "You know, you really don't have to use that." He said, motioning to it. "There are other ways."

"Look, Doctor, I know you don't like Torchwood already because of Canary Wharf, but we _have _to use guns."

"Shut up, Jack." The Doctor snapped at him, stroking the murder victim's cold cheek with the back of his hand. Gathering himself, the Time Lord stood and looked around again. Alexia still hadn't returned since her little 'mission' but the Doctor didn't have to worry about her – she was the writer, after all, and she could change the story however se wanted. "Last time I saw you, won't say when because it might not have happened yet, you weren't so insistent on using a gun – what's happened between then and now that you're not telling me?"

Jack sighed. "It's nothing, Doc. I've always used a gun." The Doctor wouldn't even know about Captain John Hart or the terrors he had experienced since the Year That Never Was.

"Is it Gray? Wait, that hasn't happened yet." The Doctor looked very guilty and annoyed with himself and knocked himself on the head with his sonic. "I really need to learn how to shut up."

Jack had frozen to the spot, staring at the Doctor. "What about Gray?" he whispered fearfully. How come the Doctor knew of his childhood? "How do you know about my brother?"

…..

The Silent advanced on Amy and Mickey, its hands outstretched and the electricity bubbling in the sockets and the car bumpers as Mickey continuously fired at the Silent with his gun; however, the gun was not making anything better. Instead, it seemed to make the Silent even angrier. Amy and Mickey were backed up against a white BMW, unable to escape.

"What do we do?!" Amy yelled.

"I dunno! Throw something at it!" Mickey suggested, still firing at the monster.

Amy reached into her jacket pocket, grabbed the first thing her hand touched, pulled it out and bowled it at the Silent. It was an apple. The apple harmlessly hit the Silent on the face (can't say nose, 'cos he didn't have one) and fell to the ground with a splat.

"An _apple_?" Mickey shouted. "You threw an _apple_?"

"Hey, I'm prepared for anything, just not an unexpected alien attack!"

"Throw something else!"

Amy groped in her pocket again and found them suddenly empty. Then, a spanner materialized in her hand. Thanking the writer for her genius and compassion, Amy chucked the spanner at the Silent and it hit it in the eye. The Silent groaned and clutched its eye painfully, sinking to its knees (do Silents even _have _knees?).

"Yeah! Ten points for Smith and Pond!" Amy and Mickey high-fived each other, jumping up into the air.

This victory, though, only lasted for a few seconds, because the Silent steadied itself and started wandering towards them like a zombie. Amy screeched, grabbed Mickey's hand, and yanked him away. They ran across the tarmac, weaving in and out between cars. And then, Amy suddenly had the Doctor's sonic screwdriver in her hand. She zapped a Mercedes and pushed Mickey into the passenger seat. Starting the engine with another zap of the sonic, she slammed her foot down on the accelerator and skidded the car towards the ramp up onto the next floor.


	19. Chapter 19

**CHAPTER 19**

**Argh!**

"Argh!" Colonel Mace screamed as the silver Mercedes flew up the ramp from the floor below towards her. The car, containing two of the Doctor's extremely terrified friends, soared through the air before landing with a screech and skidding to a halt.

Mickey and Amy stumbled out of the seat, slightly dazed, staggering towards the Colonel. Both placed their hands on the Colonel's shoulders awkwardly while trying to catch their breath.

"Amelia Pond, I could bloody _kiss _you!" Mickey yelped.

Amy smirked. "Yeah, well, unfortunately we're both married."

The lights began to flicker and the car engines started to roar. Amy and Mickey looked at each other, grabbed the Colonel's hand and practically _dragged _her up the ramp a hundred metres away from the last one onto the ninth floor.

"Argh!" Tosh yelled as three of the Doctor's extremely terrified friends sprinted towards her.

Mickey managed to grab Tosh's arm and they all started running towards the elevator near the exit. They needed to find the Doctor. The car lights began to flicker behind them as the Silent slowly walked towards them, its arms outstretched, electricity crackling around its hands.

Amy, Mickey, the Colonel and Tosh rushed into the elevator and Amy randomly pushed a button, hoping that this would be the floor the Doctor was on. However, this happened to be button number two, and for those readers who cannot remember, this was Owen's floor.

"Argh!" Owen roared as four of the Doctor's extremely terrified friends rushed towards him out of the elevator.

Tosh grabbed his hand. And the cycle began all over again. The elevator they had just used to travelling up again. Surely the Silent wasn't using the _elevator_? Anyways, Amy pulled everybody into a different elevator and finally pushed the right button, which for those readers who still can't remember, was button number four.

"Argh!" Jack and the Doctor both yelled as their friends barged towards them, panicked expressions plastered on their faces, running faster than cheetahs.

"The Silent's after us!" Amy squealed.

"It's using the elevator!" Mickey squeaked.

"Can Silent's even use elevators?" The Colonel asked, confused.

There was another crack of lightning as Alexia Blackbriar snapped into existence once again. "Yes, I think you'll find that, in my story, they can." She giggled.

"Alexia! Have you been forcing my companions to yell 'argh!'" the Doctor asked furiously.

"I thought it was funny." Alexia said.

"What's going on here?" Amy questioned the Doctor, puzzled.

"Shut up, Pond. Alexia, you can't do that!" the Doctor scolded the grinning teenager.

The grinning teenager grinned even more. "Yes I can, because it's my story."

The Doctor sighed. "Okay, will you stop making us all yell 'argh!' if I give you a trip in the TARDIS afterwards?"

"Okay then." Alexia answered brightly. This was exactly what she'd been hoping for all along.

"ARGH!" Martha, Ianto, Gwen and Rory screamed as they ran towards them all, flailing their arms in the air, chased by the Silent, who had its mouth open and was sucking up electricity and was about to murder them all.

The Doctor turned to Alexia, trying not to smile at the child's genius. "No trip in the TARDIS for you, Miss Blackbriar."


	20. Chapter 20

**CHAPTER 20**

**No more 'argh!'s just a lot of screaming**

"Argh!"

**Just kidding**

Since they were all grouped together now, the Doctor, his friends and the writer focused on getting rid of the Silent. The Doctor didn't care about talking to it now. He just wanted his friends safe and out of harm's way. The Colonel, Gwen, Jack, Owen, Tosh and Ianto all lined up and began to fire at the Silent. The bullets did not harm it.

The Silent reached out its hand and fired a bolt of electricity. It hit Jack and, since he was electrocuted, he fell to the ground, twitching, before becoming motionless.

"Why did you kill him?" the Doctor yelled at Alexia, kneeling down to check Jack's pulse.

"Hey, he's immortal! He'll be alright eventually."

"You have a sick mind, Blackbriar." The Doctor said darkly, causing the teenager to laugh even more.

"I DON'T UNDERSTAND!" Rory said, very loudly.

The Doctor ignored him. "Alexia, can't you just get rid of the Silent?" he begged the teenager.

Alexia frowned, pouting, and crossed her arms. "You're no fun at all. I'll just leave you here and you'll have to come up with a way of getting rid of it yourself." Pressing a button on the vortex manipulator, she vanished _again_, to the Doctor's annoyance.

Jack gasped, waking up from death suddenly, flailing his arms. The Doctor helped him up, thanking Alexia silently that she had allowed Jack to help them. The Doctor bashed his head with his hands, trying to think.

"Okay, I have an idea!" the Doctor exclaimed.

"WHAT?" Everybody chorused.

The Doctor grimaced. "RUN!"

They ran. Amy and the Doctor linked hands with Rory and Jack, as the group sprinted towards the exit. Apparently though, it wasn't going to be that easy, because seconds before they reached the emergency exit door, it vanished. They were cornered. Everybody held hands. Until, Owen came up with something so original, so incredible, that he was amazed he even thought of it.

He turned to the Doctor. "Who are you, Doctor?" he asked simply. "Doctor who?" he said, repeating the first question.

The Doctor's eyes widened at Owen's words. Everybody stared at him. The Silent vanished. Suddenly, everything was a swirling mass for the Time Lord and he was unable to see. He cried out, since he could feel it all. The pain and death. And then… nothing.

_It is not yet your time_, a familiar voice whispered to him, _Doctor, you still have the future ahead of you…._

"River?" the Doctor found himself whimpering.

_Doctor….. _the voice drawled onwards.

And then, complete darkness.


	21. Chapter 21

**CHAPTER 21**

**Two people I never would have dreamed meeting again**

"Doctor?"

The Doctor stirred slowly, the voices echoing in his head. He heard his name being repeated and somebody's hand touching his forehead. Had he passed out? Was he dead? The Doctor could not remember anything that had happened. But he recognised that voice.

"Doctor? Can you hear me?" a woman's voice asked gently.

The Doctor groaned. "Damn you, Blackbriar, why torture me?" He knew that voice. It was one of the most wonderful voices he could remember. But she had gone.

And then somebody slapped him. Immediately awake, the Doctor glared up into Alexia Blackbriar's dancing amber eyes and he swore at her.

"Now, Doctor, language." Alexia smiled at him, scolding him like a little boy.

"Why did you make me pass out?" the Doctor wailed, trying to get up and failing. "Why are you torturing me like this?"

Alexia bit her lip nervously. "Actually, that wasn't me. I didn't plan on writing that. A paradox has been created. Both ways." She added, nodding towards the person who had called back the Doctor in the first place.

The Doctor stared at her. She stared at the Doctor.

"Rose?" the Doctor asked, his voice barely a whisper.

"Yeah?" Rose asked back, her blonde hair falling over her face.

The Doctor groaned again. No, this wasn't real. She wasn't there. "You're torturing me, Blackbriar. Why are you torturing me?! Don't please. I can't handle more heartbreak if this isn't real."

Rose laughed at his expression. "Doctor, it's me. I'm real. I came back."

"Again." Another familiar voice added, a man's voice. The Doctor turned his head slightly. And saw him.

"What are you doing here?" the Doctor whispered.

Rose and the other Doctor, the Doctor's duplicate, glanced at each other. The real Doctor knew instantly that it would have to be explained over a cup of tea, privately.

"Hello, Doctor." The Doctor said to his duplicate.

"Actually… it's James now." James said, grinning down at the Doctor.

The Doctor's vision swam a little, but he could make out the two Ponds standing above him, smiling. Jack, Martha and Mickey were kneeling beside the Time Lord. The Doctor sat up, slowly. They were still in the car park. But all the cars had gone. Owen, Tosh, Ianto and Gwen were stood behind Rose, James and Alexia. The Colonel was nowhere to be seen.

"You gave me a bleedin' heart attack." The Doctor told Owen. "Twice."

Owen grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. Only thing I could think of."

"It got rid of the Silent." Gwen added.

"Yeah, I know, I was there." The Doctor said, helped to his feet unsteadily by Alexia and Rose. "So a paradox was created?"

Jack glared at Owen. "Is your job to create paradoxes now? Because this is becoming common."

The Doctor was half carried down the stairs by Rose, Alexia, Jack and James, out towards the sunlight. It was blinding when they exited the car park, but the Doctor still enjoyed the feeling of the sun on his paled face.

The police were still there, which made the Doctor wonder how much time they had spent in the car park over all. Along with the police men and the army blokes, there were now UNIT offices explained what had happened and a few ambulances. Nurses tried to pull the Doctor away to an ambulance, but his friends protected him until they reached the TARDIS. By then, he was able to walk again.

The TARDIS hummed worriedly as the Doctor was guided down into the pilot's seat by Rose, rocking slightly. Telepathically, the Doctor told the TARDIS that he was fine, just a bit tired out. James and Alexia began powering the TARDIS up again, and minutes later, they were parked in the main office. Rose and Alexia once again helped the Doctor stand and they pulled him out of the TARDIS and placed him on the sofa.

The Doctor looked into Rose's eyes and she handed him a pillow. "How did you come back?" he whispered.

Rose smiled at him. "I don't know. James and I woke up here a few days ago. Figured that wherever you were, you would need our help."

"Thanks." The Doctor said to her. "For coming."

"Nice face." James teased the Doctor, coming down to kneel beside Rose. "Bit like a baby, though."

"Oi. Don't bump the face." The Doctor grumbled. He looked between Rose and James groggily. "Are you two…?"

The question didn't need to be finished. Rose and James both held their hands out, where the gold rings glistened in the light. The Doctor smiled at them both. He was glad that Rose had found somebody. That it wasn't just some random human – that it was _him_ in his last regeneration, but a different him. He was still glad.


	22. Chapter 22

**CHAPTER 22**

**Writing isn't that easy when a paradox is in motion**

Alexia stuck her tongue out in concentration as she tapped the keys on her laptop quickly, trying to block out the paradox. However, the paradox just kept slipping in. It made it even worse when Rose and James watched her, since they were the eye of the storm, but Alexia had attempted over and over again to stop the paradox from happening in her story.

"Whatcha doing?" Amy asked, toddling over from where she's been sitting with the once again sleeping Doctor and sitting down beside the writer.

"Trying to undo the paradox." Alexia told her. Once again, the text she had written fizzed and the paradox was written back in. She sighed. "But I'm not doing very well."

"So…. Jack tried to explain the thingy to me. About you being the writer…" Amy said casually. "So… everything I'm saying now it down on that screen?"

Alexia pointed to her screen, where she was writing out Amy's exact words. Amy smiled at what she saw. Alexia was getting everything down.

"Bananas!" Amy suddenly burst out. She looked again on the screen. And lo and behold, there on the screen was the word bananas. "Wow, you're good." She commented to Alexia. "Can I read it afterwards?"

"Sorry, but if you want to read it you'll have to look on the FanFiction website."

"Wait… we have _fans_?" Amy's jaw dropped. She glanced at the screen. "Okay, I take back what I said about you being good. You're _amazing_." She turned back and yelled to the others, who were sipping cups of tea. "Guys! We have fans!"

"I have fans?" Rory was stunned.

"I can't believe it!" Amy laughed. "People actually _like _us? I mean, that's not surprising for me. It's incredible for Rory, though. Hey, why is it called -" She made saw the Doctor was still asleep. "- Doctor Who?"

Alexia sighed. "I dunno, Amy. It just is."

Alexia smiled at their reaction, typing the address of the page into the internet and showing them all the stories written about them. Amy was fascinated and she wanted to read all the ones about her. Alexia clicked on a story called 'The Family' and allowed Amy and Rory to read.

She noticed the Torchwood team watching them smugly; apparently, they were too cool for FanFiction. "And there's a Torchwood section too." Alexia flashed the team an evil grin as Owen's expression turned to horror.

Jack punched the air. "Get in! I get to be in the Doctor Who section _and _the Torchwood section. Lemme read too!"

Alexia panicked and shouted out, "NO!"

Jack stared at her, confused. "Why not?"

"It has stuff from your future in there." Alexia explained. "Best not to read until it's actually happened."

Amy glanced at the page Alexia was writing on again. "God, you get everything down!" she laughed as Alexia wrote, 'she laughed'.

The Doctor, who was asleep in on the sofa, whined. He started mumbling in Gallifreyan and turned over, almost toppling off the sofa. Martha sat beside him, rubbing the Doctor's freezing cold hands between her warm ones.

Alexia allowed Amy and Rory to read through what she had written and skipped over to sit beside Martha, deciding that she would have to write all of this out later.

"How is he?" Alexia whispered to her.

"Getting better." Martha replied, smiling. "He's still recovering from the drugs the Colonel gave him." Martha shot Alexia a sympathetic look after glancing at Amy and Rory, who's eyes were glued to the screen of Alexia's laptop. "They like your story."

Alexia snorted. "It's about them. Of course they like it."

"It is hard? Writing while this paradox is in motion?"

Alexia glanced over at Rose and James, who were watching the Doctor sleeping from a distance. Alexia sighed, turning back to Martha.

"Like you wouldn't believe." She admitted. "It would have been fine if Rose and James hadn't turned up."

"You didn't plan to write them in?"

"No. They were trapped in a parallel universe. Other writers do it and it just doesn't make sense – well, some make sense, while others are stupid."

"Right….am I in your story?" Martha asked hopefully.

Alexia grinned. "You're here, aren't you?"

Martha bounced up and down in her seat, trying to look uninterested. Finally, she could take it no longer. "I'm gonna go read it!" she gasped, running towards Amy and Rory, barging into the middle to read.

Alexia smiled at them all. Slowly, she turned the dial on her vortex manipulator, watching her dearest friends, her finger on the button. She watched them all play and laugh together for a few more seconds, wishing she could be part of their family, before pressing the button and vanishing.


	23. Chapter 23

**Guys I'm so sorry I have updated. Our internet was down and i just didn't have time. pls review!**

**CHAPTER 23**

**Future**

The Doctor stirred as memories flooded through his mind. They were his memories but their future. He could remember it all. But they couldn't. They weren't exactly memories, but he had foreknowledge of what would happen. It tortured him. Should he reveal the future to the Ponds? But that would create a paradox. Another paradox. Because the Question had been asked.

"Doctor." The Doctor whimpered in his sleep, not exactly knowing what he was saying. "Trenzalore…"

Rose and James slowly got up from their positions at the other end of the room and wandered up to the Doctor. Was the Doctor talking to James? Or to himself.

"No… don't…. Ponds….." the Doctor murmured, squirming slightly in his sleep. "Don't divorce…."

James' eyes widened and he quickly glanced behind him. Luckily, the Ponds hadn't heard the Doctor's sleep talking, since they were chatting to Jack and Martha about their adventures with the Doctor while munching on muffins freshly baked from the TARDIS oven.

But, apparently, they were going to divorce. In the future. According to the Doctor. James looked back at the bright red-head and the bubbling nurse. They didn't look like they were unhappy.

Rose leaned down and whispered the Time Lord's name into his ear. The Doctor shot up from the sofa, gasping, flailing his arms and desperately trying to get up. Rose and James attempted to hold him down as Mickey and Owen rushed over to try and help them.

The Doctor looked around wildly until his eyes locked on Amy. "Amy." The Doctor sounded terrified. "Don't."

"Don't what?" Amy squeaked; she was horrified at the Doctor's condition, which had grown even worse.

"Paradox…." The Doctor whispered as his eyes drooped once again and he collapsed unconscious on the sofa again.

Owen appeared behind the sofa, holding a syringe. "Well that was easier than expected." He commented.

"Owen, you can't just keep putting him under when he wakes up." Gwen scolded him, whacking him on the arm.

The Doctor began to twitch as he regained consciousness but immediately fell asleep. He began to moan again, twisting and turning. He suddenly grabbed Rose's wrist and whispered, "Shouldn't be here… paradox…" eerily before releasing her and falling back down.

"He's having nightmares." Rory told them all, sipping at his mug of coffee. "We've seen him have them before. Beware: you might not have an arm after he wakes up."

"What do you mean?" Tosh asked, a little amused.

Amy rubbed her arm in the memory. "He basically means last time the Doctor had a nightmare he almost tore my wrist off! And then he tried to punch me! And he did! And it hurt!"

Martha bit her lip worriedly as the Doctor started to mutter again in his beautiful own language and leaned forwards, arm stretched out as if to shake him awake again. Mickey's arm shot out and grabbed Martha's wrist, inches before it made contact with the Doctor's chest. Martha looked up at him, confusing. Surely they should wake their friend from his torment?

"Don't." Mickey said, watching the Time Lord with concern. "He's Time Lord, his nightmares might be different to ours. What if we wake him up and make them worse?"

Martha had to agree that her husband was right. Then, the Doctor began to have a conversation in English in his sleep. Everybody felt guilty listening, but it became so interesting that they couldn't help but listen.

"Hello, Doctor, how are you today? Very well, thanks, Doctor, except that reality is going to collapse. And why is that Doctor? There are quite a few reasons: Rose and James have been brought back into this Universe and the dimensions are shutting down and the Question has been asked and I'm not dead." The Doctor shuddered, no longer in his dream. "An impossible paradox has been created. And there's no way out this time."


	24. Chapter 24

**CHAPTER 24**

**Newspapers with stuff**

Suddenly, the door flew open and the Colonel marched in with three newspapers tucked under her arms. She silently beckoned them over and the group of the Doctor's friends reluctantly left the Time Lord asleep on the sofa inside his dreams.

Amy picked up one of the papers and began to read.

_THURSDAY 20__th__ SEPTEMBER_

_MORE DESTRUCTION LEFT IN ALIEN WAKE: IT SEEMS EARTH NEEDS A DOCTOR_

_Over the past few months, across the world, panic had arisen due to the bombing and attack of several major cities over many different continents suck as Sydney, New York, London, Paris, Rio de Janeiro and Moscow. Many experts are now stating that this destruction was caused by non-terrestrial life forms from outer space._

_With buildings collapsing and space ships sightings becoming more common, the world must accept this to be true. People have claimed to see the aliens causing this terror, but however, none of the witnesses can remember their encounters. It appears the invading non-terrestrials are what experts call memory-proof._

_"You see the aliens, but when you look away you can't remember them." Patrick Moore explained to the press last night at the conference. "An old friend of mine has encountered these aliens before."_

_Patrick Moore admitted his friend with the knowledge of these aliens to be known as 'The Doctor'. Who this 'Doctor' may be experts do not know. Any citizens of Earth with knowledge of who this mysterious 'Doctor' may be, please call us or email us at: 077 840 239 987 or iknowthedoctor ._

Amy slowly set down the paper. "So now the Doctor's become some sort of….celebrity?" she asked, disgusted. She kicked the coffee table, releasing some of her anger before kicking it again. "And now they're trying to find him? He's not some missing person! They can't just track him down!" she protested.

Jack gave her a small smile. "Actually, Amy, they can. Interpol are putting up posters now. They're even considering a reward."

"So now the Doctor's a fugitive? I give up!" The Doctor's red-headed companion seethed furiously. The Doctor wasn't just a person; he was the most important person in the Universe.

The Colonel pulled a face. "If you think that's bad, then you should read this. That one was from yesterday… this one is today's."

Martha passed Amy the paper and she eagerly began to scan the document.

_FRIDAY 21__st__ SEPTEMBER_

_MYSTERIOUS 'DOCTOR' LOCATED?_

_Yesterday afternoon, the police received a call from an officer investigating a murder at a car park in the centre of Bedford town, Bedfordshire, England, stating that a white male in his mid-twenties had turned up unexpected at the crime scene in a blue police box, confirming that he was 'The Doctor' and that he worked for the agency known as 'UNIT' and the famous institute dealing with alien life forms 'Torchwood'._

_"This police box just appeared out of nowhere beside me." PC Andy Warshall told the press eagerly. "And a man, a white male in his mid-twenties jumped out and said that he needed to get into the building. He showed me this document paper and said his name was the Doctor, and that he worked for UNIT and Torchwood. He wore this tweed jacket and braces with a bow tie and then all these other people followed him out of the police box, that looked way too small to fit them all inside. They all just rushed off into the building and didn't come out until two hours later."_

_Other police officers at the scene said that after the large group of people accompanying the 'Doctor' had vanished for two hours, they made an appearance soon after. UNIT were also at the seen, and the 'Doctor' who was not in such a fit state, declined medical treatment before he, and his friends, vanished into the police box that disappeared from the scene minutes later._

_The British government are now attempting to identify the people travelling with the Doctor, and please visit our website .uk for pictures. Also spotted with the Doctor was Colonel Mace of UNIT, the former Mace's wife. Inquiries are being made at this moment whether or not UNIT are hiding the Doctor from the public._

_If anybody has any knowledge of the Doctor, or can identify one of his friends please contact us at: iknowthedoctor or 077 840 239 987. _

Amy had just finished reading the paper when a noise outside caught her attention. Looking up, she frowned, trying to pass it off as her imagination. But it was still there. Martha and Jack began to frown too, as if they could hear it as well.

"Can you hear that?" Jack asked everybody. Everybody nodded.

"Oh god." Martha breathed. "I thought it was just me."

Martha, Jack and Amy jumped to there feet and rushed over to the window. Since the main office was on the second floor, it had a full view of the gardens in front of the UNIT base. What they saw outside made they're hearts stop.

A massive crowd of around one thousand people were gathered outside the UNIT base, holding up posters and signs, protesting loudly. UNIT officers were trying to force them backwards, using riot gear, but the crowd seemed to multiply every time they took a step back. Their chant was what shocked Amy the most, and her heart filled with dread.

"_FREE THE DOCTOR! FREE THE DOCTOR! FREE THE DOCTOR! FREE THE DOCTOR!"_


	25. Chapter 25

**For the last few chapters they've been a few drabbles, but soon there'll be another 'field trip'. I've already written it out. THANKS TO THOSE WHO FAVOURITED AND FOLLOW!**

**PLEASE REVIEW. Tell me what you're looking forwards to in The Power of Three and the Angels Take Manhattan... and i know a few spoilers... so all you need to do is ask...**

**CHAPTER 25**

**The Doctor becomes famous**

Jack swore. "What the hell are we meant to do now?!"

Rose risked a glance at the Doctor. He was still seriously unwell, and he was still asleep. But he looked stronger. Her suggestion though was crazy. Nobody would consider it. How could they put the Doctor on show if he was ill?

The chanting continued outside, causing the Doctor to stir. He slowly sat up on the sofa, breathing heavily, with sweat trickling down his face. "Waz goin' on?" he stammered.

Everybody whipped their heads around to see the Doctor trying to get up off the sofa. He managed to stand and take one step, his eyes still dilated from the drugs Owen had given him. After another step, he crumpled slightly, but James managed to catch him half way down and help him up again. Several minutes later, a still slightly groggy Doctor was standing by the window, staring down at all the people gathered below chanting his name.

"Why are they saying my name?" the Doctor asked, his voice layered with sleep. "What's happened? How do they know me? Surely I haven't met all of them."

Amy and Martha quickly explained the press and what had been written in the papers. For somebody who had just nearly died three times, the Doctor was incredibly resilient and understanding.

"Should I speak to them?" The Doctor asked the Colonel.

Colonel Mace, wife of the other Colonel Mace, bit her lip, examining the Doctor with a quick flash of her eyes. He looked stronger, and healthier. Surely he would be able to say a quick speech. "If you think you can."

"I can." The Doctor said, giving a weak smile. "When?"

"Whenever you want." The Colonel answered, surprised. She hadn't expected the Doctor to be so eager at addressing the public.

The Doctor looked himself down. "I should probably redress first. Meet me on the balcony in…" he glanced at his watch. "Ten minutes?"

He stumbled off towards the TARDIS, opened it, and staggered inside, closing the door behind him. Amy winced as she heard a crash – most probably the Doctor bashing into something. James noticed the Doctor's friends' worried expressions.

"Do you want me to help him in there?" James questioned Amy.

Amy blushed. "If you wouldn't mind, James. I don't want him to collide with Ancient Greece _again_."


	26. Chapter 26

**CHAPTER 26**

**The past can hurt**

James raced towards the TARDIS, eager to see his old home again. As he ran past, Rory threw him a TARDIS key and James expertly caught it and unlocked the blue doors. As soon as he stepped inside, he felt he was home again. The desktop theme had changed to something a little more futuristic, a bit like a kid's playground, but it suited this Doctor.

The TARDIS hummed under James' touch and the half-human Time Lord felt a rush of warm air stream towards him. It seemed the TARDIS had missed him. When James heard another crash, he ran towards the source of the noise and thanked the TARDIS when he found the Doctor in the first room down the corridor. He had changed into a new suit, but now had a bottle green overcoat on instead of the tweed and was having quite a bit of trouble tying up his dark red bow tie. James strolled forwards and replaced the Doctor's weak long fingers with his own, quickly doing up the bow tie and handing the Doctor his sonic screwdriver, which he received from the tweed.

"James." The Doctor started awkwardly. "Do you miss your old life?"

"You mean the life I had as a Time Lord travelling around time and space in the TARDIS with Rose and Martha and Donna?"

The Doctor shuffled, looking at the ground. "Yes. Do you ever consider going back to it?"

James thought about that question. "Well, sometimes I wish I could travel again. But then I remember what I've got, and I tell myself to never consider it again."

"Yeah." The Doctor said. "You've got Rose."

"Rose Tyler." James smiled, but his expression was serious. "I was glad when you told me I could stay with her. Do you… miss her?"

The Doctor stuck his hands in his pocket and began to make his way steadily towards the wardrobe door, steadier than before. He sighed. "Yes. But… not as much. With Martha and Donna… she was the only person I could ever consider loving. But then when I left you with her, I told myself I had to move on, for her sake and my sake. And I did. And I still love her, don't get me wrong. But I know that it will never be possible, so I don't consider it."

James whistled, following the Doctor out into the console room. "Complicated."

"My life is complicated." The Doctor pointed out. "If it was normal, I would be working as a temp in Chiswick or something."

James grimaced. "Where's Donna? After the beach…. I could tell something had happened? What happened?"

The Doctor stopped and ran a hand though his hair uneasily, grief crossing his face. "It… she… part of me was inside of her. She… she possessed a Time Lord brain. That can't happen. If I had let her keep it… she would have burned. So… I had to erase all the memories of me from her mind, to protect her. In the end, she didn't even know my name. I had to leave her behind, to save her."

James and the Doctor stood in silence for a few minutes, cogs whirring inside their heads. They both knew what each other were thinking, and it wasn't pretty. They were thinking about what would have happened to Donna if she had kept the Time Lord consciousness. The TARDIS doors flew open and both Amy and Rose stuck their heads through the gap.

"Oi! We're waiting for you out here! It's been twenty minutes!" Amy teased the Doctor, wagging a finger at him. "Get out here right now, mister!"

"You're officially famous now." Rose grinned at him. "UNIT have got BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 camping on their doorsteps."

Amy and Rose jumped into and dragged the Doctor and James back into the main office, laughing as the TARDIS gave the Doctor an encouraging mental shove and chuckling, _make me proud, Thief_.

The Doctor clapped his hands, about to enter onto the balcony. He flashed his friends a massive goofy grin that made them grin too. Rory and Jack both thumped him on the back wishing him good luck. "Okay, companions! Who's ready for that microphone?"


	27. Chapter 27

**CHAPTER 27**

**People of Earth**

As soon as the doors opened and the Doctor was in sight, there was an enormous uproar. Hundreds of people clapped and cheered deafeningly, jumping up and down in excitement. The Doctor along with his friends slowly walked out onto the balcony. They had even set up a little stage. The Doctor liked little stages, so stood up on it and began to speak into the microphone.

"Hello, people of Earth!" he began, in a steady, firm, inspiring voice. "My name is the Doctor. But I'm guessing you already know that."

In answer, the crowd roared again, this time even louder. The Doctor stuck his fingers in his ears for five minutes until the crowd quietened down again.

"Look, I'd seriously appreciate it if you didn't scream every time I spoke."

There wasn't even a word whispered this time. Hundreds of people stared up at the Doctor in awe, wondering at his marvel. This was the man who would save them. They would respect him.

At the back of the crowd, BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 were filming the whole thing, and if the Colonel was to turn on the TV in the office, on every single channel there would be a live broadcasting of the Doctor at the UNIT base.

"Thank you. As I was saying, I'm the Doctor. These people you see standing with me here are my best friends." He pointed to each person in turn as he named them. "Amelia Pond. Rory Pond. Doctor Martha Smith. Mickey Smith. Captain Jack Harkness. Gwen Cooper. Doctor Owen Harper. Toshiko Sato. Ianto Jones. Rose Tyler. And finally, James Tyler. Say hi, guys!"

The Doctor's friends all said hi to the crowd, extremely embarrassed though proud that the Doctor had called them his best friends. Jack even waved at the crowd, and the Doctor had to shoot him a patronising look to get him to stop. The Doctor turned back to the crowd, all smiles and happiness. Nobody would have suspected the Doctor to be seriously ill now.

"Yes. Now, I happen to know that you're all hoping on me to save you from the Silence. That's what those aliens are called. The Silence. You won't remember that name, but I'm telling you anyway. And, don't worry, I'll save you. The Doctor is in the house. This is bread and butter for me." The Doctor's smile vanished. "However, before you place all your trust in me, there's something that I have to tell you."

Millions of people around the planet, watching the TV or watching it at the UNIT base froze, staring up at this impossible, dazzling man. The Doctor's friends glanced at each other. The Doctor had told them what he would have to say before coming out. They knew that this could either start a riot or get the world to trust him even more.

The Doctor smiled. "I'm the Doctor. I'm the last of the Time Lords. I'm 1109 years old. I'm from the planet Gallifrey, the Shining World of the Seven Systems. I travel in time and space in my TARDIS with companions, saving empires and people in need, destroying evil and fighting those who pose a threat to Earth. I would be honoured to protect you and your planet in this time of need. Please; let me help you."

Silence. Utter silence. And then – complete uproar. People stood and cheered, applause rocking the planet. Even those at home watching the telly stood to clap. For one moment, every single person on the planet stood and yelled for their saviour. No single person on Earth cursed or threw a bottle. Every single member of the human race placed their trust in this one, amazing man.

But then the Doctor stopped smiling. He froze. Because it was her. Standing below him, cheering his name, holding a massive poster. He could see her distinctive ginger hair and her mother and grandfather along side her.

The poster said, in large, bold TARDIS blue lettering: _Allons-y Spaceman!_


	28. Chapter 28

**CHAPTER 28**

**The Universe gifts the Doctor with a miracle**

The Doctor stood, stunned into silence, staring at Donna Noble, who was shouting for him below in the crowd. How could she be there? How could she remember? This was _not possible_. Another paradox was being created. An impossible one at that. Another impossible paradox.

"Donna." The Doctor whispered, hardly believing what he was seeing.

Nobody sensed the Doctor's rising distress except Amy, who frowned and crept up behind him, whispering into his ear, "Doctor, what's wrong?"

The Doctor turned around and held his companion's face in his hands gently, pressing his forehead to hers, sharing every single memory about Donna Noble, what he had done for her and what she had done for him and what he had been forced to do to save her.

"She's here." The Doctor choked out, his eyes filling with tears. "How can she be here?"

The Doctor left then. He put his face in his hands, thinking he was cursed, and ran from the balcony. The crowd continued to cheer for their saviour, not really caring that he had rushed off. As the Doctor raced past Rose and James, the married couple both glanced at each other worriedly and hurried after him.

The Doctor leaned on the wall, shaking his head. Was this some sort of hallucination? A side effect of his illness? How could Donna Noble remember?

"Doctor, what's wrong?" Rose asked him worriedly while taking his head in her hands and cradling it, realising the Doctor was crying, repeating the same question Amy had questioned him. "What's happened?"

The teary eyed Time Lord looked up, but not at Rose, but at James. "Donna Noble is here" was all he said. James froze. His jaw dropped. _WHAT?_

"What do you mean, she's here?" James stammered.

"I mean she's down there in the crowd cheering with Sylvia Noble, her mother, and Wilf, her grandfather, holding a massive poster saying, in TARDIS blue text, _Allons-y Spaceman_!" the Doctor snapped back, unable to withhold his sharp tone.

By the time both James and the Doctor had collected themselves, the Doctor's other friends had closed the doors to the balcony, realising that their best friend wasn't present. The Doctor slowly eased himself into a sofa, breathing heavily, still attempting to pass this off as a hallucination. Who knew, it could just be his imagination.

"Donna Noble is down there in the crowd, when she can't even remember my name." the Doctor groaned. "Why is the Universe doing this to me? Haven't I been tormented enough already?"

Jack collapsed down beside his old friend and clapped him on the back. He had been told what had happened to Donna after she had created the meta-crisis Doctor and understood it well, but Donna's sudden appearance made no sense at all.

"Well, somebody once told me that the Universe is vast and complicated and very rarely impossible things happen and we call them miracles." Jack smiled at the Doctor.

The Doctor looked up, surprised. "I didn't tell you that, I told Rory that." He stated truthfully, looking between the immortal man and the last Centurion with suspicion dancing in his wise eyes.

"I passed it on." Rory admitted, looking embarrassed. "It sounded good."

"Yeah, just like my saying." Jack pointed out, a dashing grin spreading across his face. "'The twenty-first century is when everything changes'."

Martha frowned. "What does it mean?"

"I dunno, but it sounds cool." Jack laughed.

Colonel Mace bit her lip. Her husband, Colonel Alan Mace had met Donna Noble before and now she knew how much the red-head meant to the Doctor. Owen, Tosh, Gwen and Ianto knew exactly what she was thinking.

"Do you want us to bring her in?" Gwen suggested.

Every one of the Doctor's friends knew how hard this decision was going to be on him. The Doctor sighed, in deep thought, before glancing up at his friend from Torchwood, who he knew that had helped him save the world. And that was the other thing that bothered him. It was 2010. And that meant that Owen, Tosh and Ianto should all be dead. But they weren't. And Jack had not yet discovered the truth about Gray. Another paradox. The Doctor was beginning to think that paradoxes would be his life.

The Doctor leaned forwards and gazed at Gwen Cooper in the eye. "Yes. I would. Bring Donna Noble in. I want to understand this time. No more running from the past."


	29. Chapter 29

**CHAPTER 29**

**Donna Noble is back on track**

Donna Noble grinned up at her Spaceman, who was staring at her in what she mistook as delight and shock instead of horror. She could remember everything. Everything that had happened between them. Sure, he had a new face, but he was the same Doctor.

The Doctor vanished from view and soon after, Martha and Jack and all his other friends did too. And was that a glimpse of the duplicate Doctor and Rose? So the Doctor had grouped everybody together. Except her.

"Gramps." Donna called loudly to her grandfather. "I'm going to find the Doctor." She announced to both Wilf and Sylvia, once she had them in earshot.

Without waiting for them to answer, Donna began to fight through the crowd towards the door. She _had _to find the Doctor. She wanted an explanation. An explanation on why he had left her. Her mum and gramps might have tried to tell her, but she wanted it from the Doctor's own mouth.

Suddenly, two arms grabbed her from behind and propelled her towards the door. She looked back and saw two people: a dark haired woman who she remembered as Gwen Cooper and a dark haired man who she didn't recognise.

"Hello, Donna. I'm not sure whether you can remember me, but I'm Gwen Cooper." Gwen greeted her pleasantly. "We're going to escort you to the main office."

"I'm Doctor Owen Harper." The dark haired man introduced himself, dragging her through another large group of people. "You'll see the Doctor soon."

She was steered though the crowds of people and they stopped at the massive doors, where Owen pressed the intercom button and explained who they were. The doors clicked open and it was a race against time as they slipped inside and had to fight hundreds of people who suddenly realised the doors were open and tried to get inside.

"How's the big outer-space dunce been then?" Donna asked, instantly slipping back into her old habits of calling her Doctor names.

"He's been… fine." Gwen answered back.

Donna narrowed her eyes at the woman's hesitation. Had something happened to her Spaceman? She was guided up another set of stairs before Owen punched in a code and opened the door into a large main office.

And there he was. Sitting quite calmly on a sofa, between a red-headed woman and a nervous-looking man, looking ill and strained was the Doctor. Donna could have thought anything at that moment. Anything at all. But all she could think was, _Seriously? A Bowtie?_


	30. Chapter 30

**CHAPTER 30**

**An uncomfortable conversation, handcuffs and a misunderstanding**

"Bowties are cool." The Doctor said out loud, answering Donna's thoughts.

The Doctor was staring at her weirdly. Like she was not meant to be there. Like she was never meant to be there at all. He was tense and his hands were held still on his lap as he just gazed at her, with an unreadable expression.

"Oi, stop staring at me, Timeboy." Donna snapped playfully, hoping to ease the Time Lord out of this stressful mood.

The Doctor blinked. He loosened up a bit, glancing up at Martha Jones, who standing at his shoulder encouragingly and asked, in a casual voice, "How've you bin, Earthgirl?"

"Not bad. Since you dumped me off at home." Donna couldn't help but burst out angrily.

It was true though. The Doctor _had _dumped her. She couldn't remember how she had ended up with her mother in her bed, but she had a feeling that something bad had happened, and the Doctor wasn't telling her.

"Doctor, why did you leave me? I promised you forever." She said in a small voice, not her usual cocky self. "And you just _dropped me off home_. And I couldn't remember anything. Not until after the sun was going out and those spaceships and stuff with all that crazy Prisoner Zero nonsense."

The Doctor's eyes began to water as he gaped like a gold fish, stuttering slightly, wiping his eyes and shifting uncomfortably. The red-head reached over and clasped his hand, giving him the eyebrows. So that Doctor _had _been involved with that incidence with the giant eyeball! Donna had been starting to wonder.

The Doctor tried to smile, but it came out as a grimace. "Donna, you can't be here." He trembled. "You remember me."

Donna scoffed. "You are _such an idiot_ sometimes. Of course I remember you. Like I can remember fat babies and rock monsters and a certain giant wasp!"

"But Donna, you don't get it." The Doctor said, his eyes pleading with hers. "You shouldn't be able to remember me."

Donna caught her breath, beginning to get furious. "What do you mean? Of course I'm meant to remember you."

"No, Donna, you're not." Another Doctor, the old Doctor, the Doctor she had known stepped out from the shadows. Rose was beside him and it didn't take Donna long to realise that this was 'Handy', the Doctor's duplicate. "Do you remember what happened?"

"Meta-crisis, yeah." Donna said, rolling her eyes. "You. Him. Saving the world from Daleks. Massive time bomb. I remember."

The Doctor looked like he was being tortured. "Donna. I know you want to know why I left you that night. But you're going to need to be… brave. The truth is not… it's not pretty, okay?"

Donna couldn't find the words to say anything. But she nodded. The Doctor breathed out heavily and that was when Donna noticed something. The Doctor was _handcuffed_. Actually _handcuffed_. With handcuffs on his wrists, holding his hands together. What was going on?

She shot a look at Jack and Martha, puzzled. They shook their heads, but Mickey gave an indication to look left. Donna immediately spotted a woman. A Colonel? She was keeping the Doctor _handcuffed_? But why weren't the others handcuffed?

"Doctor, why are you handcuffed?" Donna asked him, shocked at the fact that her friend had not already just used the sonic screwdriver or forced them off. The Doctor despised handcuffs. He always had done and always would. They made him feel trapped. And now there he was, willingly handcuffed.

The Doctor looked at the ground. "In case I get mad and hurt you." He admitted.

Donna was shocked silent. "You wouldn't." she whispered so quietly so that nobody could hear her but herself. The Doctor would never hurt her. Would he? The Doctor quickly continued, seeing the growing anger and confusion on his old friend's face.

"Only since right now I'm going through quite a lot. I would never do anything to you on purpose, Donna." He assured her. "It's just that…" he struggled to find the right excuse. "Time Lords are time sensitive you see. All these paradoxes… creates a bit of a strain." He tried to smile at her. "This one is so large its making me hurt. The TARDIS had to leave; she hates paradoxes too. I should leave. At this moment, I _want _to leave." He shot a disgusted look at the Colonel lady. Obviously, this woman was keeping him there was some reason.

"Why?" There was that question again. That question that Donna could not keep from asking over and over. _Why? _She wanted to know everything.

The Doctor gave her a stony look, the first time he had ever shown hostility towards her. Donna's eyes widened when the Doctor told her the truth. "Because of you."


	31. Chapter 31

**CHAPTER 31**

**Impossible Paradox**

Donna felt like reaching forwards and slapping this Doctor so hard he would start crying. He was putting this on _her_? Donna bared her teeth slightly, lurching to her feet, bunching her fists and storming towards the Doctor.

The red-head shot up and stood in front of the Doctor, her arms crossed protectively as Donna was dragged backwards once again by Owen and Gwen. But this was only _after _she had grabbed the Doctor's arm. The Torchwood operatives held her in place as she cursed the Doctor over and over. The Doctor's face faltered like a kid missing Christmas. He had wanted her to listen to him. But now there was no way his feisty companion would even hear him cough.

"I would say I understand, Doctor." Donna seethed. "But I don't. I want an explanation. NOW. Why did you leave me at home? What happened to my memories? Why aren't I allowed to remember? Why am I causing you pain? You better start talking, Martian, because my patience is running out."

The Doctor was shocked into silence. He just sat there behind his companion, too stunned to speak. Then, his face slowly drained of colour and he passed out. The man who was still sitting next to him immediately checked his pulse and lay the Doctor back down onto the sofa.

Donna instantly felt guilty at shouting at the Doctor. Just seeing her best friend helpless made her feel terrible. She was meant to protect him. "What happened? Was it when I yelled at him?" she asked the man who had checked the Doctor's pulse, worriedly.

"No. It was the physical contact that did it." Jack answered her instead of the man. Jack crossed his arms, leaning against the back of the sofa. "Like the Doctor said, Donna, you're causing him strain. You're a paradox in itself. One touch and you overwhelmed him."

Donna watched as the young red-headed woman sat down beside the Doctor and stroked his face, playing with his thick dark chocolate hair.

"He's so weak." Donna thought she heard her mutter.

But the Doctor couldn't be weak. Could he? The red-head smiled at Donna. "Don't worry, it wasn't your fault, you didn't know. I'm Amy Pond by the way. And this is the husband Rory."

Rose and the duplicate Doctor glanced at each other, thinking the exact same thing. Donna frowned when she noticed the little glance, but didn't say anything.

"So. What's this about me being a paradox and everything? 'Cos I really haven' got much patience left anymore."

Rose and James (the duplicate Doctor) slowly explained to Donna about how the Meta-crisis results would have burned her mind if she had kept the Time Lord brain, so the Doctor had been forced to remove all memories of himself from her mind so she wouldn't burn up and die. He had been forced to make her forget him.

"So… you're saying that right now, I should be dead?" Donna concluded. "Because I remember everything?"

"Exactly." Jack nodded in appreciation. "But you're not. Somebody is playing with time. Somebody is creating impossible paradoxes." Jack glanced at the Doctor, concerned, who was still unconscious. These paradoxes were playing with his mind. People he loved were becoming his greatest fears. "And we need to find out whom and fast."


	32. Chapter 32

**CHAPTER 32**

**The hunt begins**

Since the TARDIS had vanished off into the Time Vortex due to the effects of the paradoxes, and the Doctor was still unconscious so there was no way of getting her back, the Torchwood team kindly allowed Amy and Rory to use their SUV to drive back to Leadworth and collect some stuff and, hopefully, contact their daughter. However, River was doing a no show and the couple were forced to travel back to London alone. They had brought along the box they reserved for anything alien, or anything they had collected when travelling with the Doctor.

Fortunately, Amy had not thrown away her photo of the Silent that she had copied onto her computer from her phone and printed out for any future records. They also had the pictures given to them by Canton Everett Delaware the Third of the tally marks on their arms, and the team of the Doctor's friends quickly decided on using the same system to count how many Silents they discovered, before killing them.

The Doctor's friends were certain that the Silents were somehow causing the paradoxes, or the order of the Silence. They were still desperately attempting to kill the Doctor, so the Time Lord had to be kept under supervision at all times.

The Doctor awoke only a few hours later and agreed with his companions' plans, but not with the fact he had to be escorted and monitored everywhere. The TARDIS wouldn't show, so they had to use the Torchwood SUV and some UNIT jeeps to get around London or drive to other cities if any more destruction was caused.

Strangely, the Silence were not continuing with their destruction and were leaving the cities alone, instead targeting people who had met the Doctor. Nobody died, but UNIT received calls from many people stating that they had been attacked, but they didn't remember by whom.

For the next few days, the Doctor stuck to the UNIT base so he didn't have to be followed about, only occasionally going outside (the Torchwood team were his escorts then, so he didn't mind as much), waiting for any news from Alexia Blackbriar, who was meant to be stalking them, or from River Song. To his concern, neither of them made any contact. The Doctor presumed that Alexia had not shown up because she was writing a different version to what was actually happening, so was no longer following them. And River was just being River.

Colonel Susan Mace monitored their work and kept a constant eye on the Time Lord, although he didn't know it. In most of the rooms the Doctor worked in there were hidden cameras, so the Colonel was able to observe the Doctor's progress from a distance. The Doctor was still quite weak, so still had to be forced by Martha and Mickey to get some sleep, since normally he didn't really sleep at all.

The Doctor was not that comfortable being alone in a room with Donna, Owen, Tosh or Ianto, for some reason. He was alright if there were others with him, he just preferred not to be alone with them. With Donna there were obvious reasons, since she was a walking paradox machine, but Jack was extremely alarmed about Owen, Tosh and Ianto. Was there something the Doctor was not telling him?

On the third day of investigating, Jack discovered a list of paradoxes the Doctor had created. Well, he didn't really discover it; he had snatched it from his old friend's pocket on the second night when he had been threatened to be drugged by Amy if he didn't sleep willingly. Jack had discovered something that nobody else knew; when the Doctor slept, he didn't really sleep, but slipped into this sort of healing coma when he would rest in the night unconscious.

The list though was what really got Jack going. He could hardly read the Time Lord's hand writing (the Doctor had been falling in his healing coma while writing it) but he managed to understand the message.

Paradoxes

Rose and James; alternative universe, how did they get through when doors are sealed?

Donna; remembers everything, although impossible since meta-crisis.

Owen, Toshiko, Ianto; all meant to be deceased or killed. Averted?

Jack; not yet uncovered the mystery of his brother Gray. Averted?

Jack could not lay off the fact that, according to the Doctor, three members of his beloved team were supposed to be dead. And also, how did the Doctor know about Gray, his brother? Things were making less sense as things went on, and Jack couldn't help but lose his trust for the Time Lord. He had been acting strange ever since the Donna incident and the TARDIS not responding to his calls was what made Jack even more worried. Was something happening to the Doctor?


	33. Chapter 33

**CHAPTER 33**

**A confrontation finally arises**

"Doctor?"

"Yes, Jack?" the Doctor answered immediately, sitting with his legs crossed on the top of a _very _high counter, fiddling with wires.

He was practically behind the CCTV camera hanging from the ceiling, which Jack guessed his friend had intended. Jack frowned and shuffled up a little closer. How had the Doctor even got up there? There was no ladder and nothing to help him climb up. Strange man.

"I want to ask you something." Jack started nervously.

"If this is about Amy, then no, you can't."

Jack almost burst into fits of laughter at the Doctor's protective expression. "Er, no, it's not about Amy."

"If it's about Rory, it's still a no." the Doctor's expression was deadly serious.

Jack couldn't contain himself and roared with laughter. The Doctor didn't bat an eye, but instead glared at him for a second with an '_I mean it' _face. Jack pulled up a chair and watched the Doctor fiddling with the wires, zapping them occasionally with his sonic screwdriver.

"I can trust you, right?" Jack watched for the Doctor's reaction.

The Doctor stopped fiddling with his wires and shoved his hand into his jacket pocket before sighing. "Give it back, Jack."

"Give what back?" Jack asked, bewildered.

"I know when my pockets are picked, they're trans-dimensional. Give the list back. I know you've read it."

"Then you know what I'm going to ask. Again."

"Of course I do. Just pass up the list and I promise I'll answer any question you have." Jack pulled out the list and reached up onto the tip of his toes to hand it back to the Time Lord. "Thanks. Now, fire away."

Jack took a deep breath, glowering at the Doctor, and fired. "How do you know about my brother?"

"Gray isn't that hard to keep track of. I know when he comes and when he goes. I've even spoken to him once or twice. Just asked him how he was. And, I know this one is up next, don't worry, he's fine."

"It said on the list that I was meant to meet him but it was 'averted'. What do you mean by meet?"

"He was meant to meet with you again. That's all I can say. Spoilers and all…" The Doctor grunted as he caught his fingers in between some wires and had to yank them out.

Jack bit his lip. "What happened?"

The Doctor froze. "You _know _I can't tell you that."

"Didn't hurt to try." Jack grumbled from below, staring up at the Doctor, who was now fiddling with the back of the CCTV camera and taking it apart on his lap, fitting his jumble of red and blue wires inside. "You're going to get me arrested for doing that." Jack nodded at the camera. "I'm meant to be supervising you, you know."

The Doctor barely acknowledged Jack's comment and continued taking the camera apart, separating the bits into the little piles. "You've got another problem, Jack." The Doctor pointed out to him. "Another thing on the list."

Jack frowned. "You _want _me to question you about this."

"I haven't had a proper conversation about timey-wimey stuff since I've got here. It's relaxing to have somebody to talk about time travel, since whenever I mention those two words to everybody else they think I'm planning on escaping and shoot me with a stun gun."

"Okay, okay, I'll get on with it then. Owen, Tosh and Ianto; they're not dead."

"Paradox." The Doctor said simply. "They're meant to be." He looked up, suddenly sorrowful. "Sorry, Jack. I really am, very, very sorry."

Jack felt hurt inside. He knew the Doctor was just stating the facts, but his team were not dead. Surely that was a good thing? "You're not going to tell me anything else, are you?"

"Nope!" the Doctor exclaimed, popping the 'p' happily. "Hey, do you wanna come up here? It's really nice."

So two minutes later, when the Colonel came storming into the room demanding that she and the Doctor talk and that he couldn't just disable cameras for fun, she saw both Jack and the Doctor seated up on that _very _high shelf, watching random youtube videos on Jack's iPhone, occasionally laughing and saying that they would not come down again.


	34. Chapter 34

**CHAPTER 34**

**WAHOO!**

It soon came to the Colonel's attention on their sixth day of investigating that she could not find the Doctor. He was meant to be in the lab working at some solution thingy, but he was nowhere to be found. She had soldiers search the building, and was getting tired of the Time Lord's tricks and pranks he played on people for fun to get them annoyed. She had already found her office toilet papered (twice) and her toilet cling filmed (Jack's doing), and she had had enough.

"DOCTOR!" The Colonel yelled. "WHERE ARE YOU?!"

"Up here!"

The Colonel looked up. And there, seated on the _ceiling_, reading a book, was the Doctor. He looked perfectly at ease as he gazed down at the Colonel, though irritated since he had been interrupted from his reading.

The Colonel was far to interested in how the Doctor was defying gravity to be angry with him. "How are you doing that?"

The Doctor flashed a wristband. "With this. I found it in the archives when I was wandering around. Anti-gravity discharger wristband."

"You took it from the _Archives_?" the Colonel was beginning to get annoyed. "Doctor, you can't just waltz around like you own UNIT and take stuff and disable cameras and….stuff." she finished very lamely.

"Why not?" the Doctor seemed generally surprised.

"Because you….because you just can't." the Colonel finished lamely once again.

The Doctor grinned slyly. "I've got another one." He sang, holding up (or was it down?) another anti-gravity wristband like the one on his own arm. "Want to join me?"

"SURE AS HELL, DOC!" Mickey raced around the corner, snatching the wristband from the Doctor's hand and rushing away, giggling insanely with his arms in the air.

"GOD, YOU –" the Doctor ripped off his wristband, seething with anger, landing with a crash onto the floor, throwing it to the Colonel and giving chase. "THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE, RICKEY! STOP STALKING ME!"

"IT'S MICKEY!"

The Colonel glanced down at the anti-gravity wristband in her hand, once the Doctor was out of sight, pursuing Mickey Smith. She looked around nervously. The truth was that she very much wanted to try it out. But she wasn't like the Doctor, going around as if she owned UNIT. She would not sink to his level.

…..

"Er…. Colonel? What are you doing?" Martha questioned her boss.

The Colonel was seated upside down on the ceiling, reading the Doctor's book that he had dropped, intrigued by it. She put her book down (or up) and gazed at Martha's confused face, beginning to giggle.

"I've got an anti-gravity discharger wristband on." She giggled, looking around to check nobody else was there. "Don't tell anybody, okay?" The Colonel glanced around, giggling even more.

Martha nodded and as she walked off, she attempted to remember the number of the psychiatrist she would have to call for the Colonel later.


	35. Chapter 35

Amy raised her eyebrows. "Have they ever got caught in the middle of a maze of the dead being chased by Weeping Angels? Have they ever defeated Daleks in the Cabinet War Rooms in the height of the Blitz? Have they ever fought aliens while _pregnant_? Have they ever been trapped in a dolls house with alien rag dolls attempting to kill them? Have they ever been in an alterative time line, fighting aliens while trying to save the Doctor's life and fix Time itself? Have they ever –"

"That's quite enough." The Colonel shot her a stern look.

The Doctor laughed. "I know you're quite capable, Amy. You're coming with me whether the Colonel likes it or not. Come on!"

The Doctor and Amy turned away and began to stroll towards a jeep as if they just expected Mace to let them get away with it. They didn't even have the keys to the car… they wouldn't be able to leave. However, the Colonel's heart sunk as soon as the Doctor flipped open his sonic screwdriver and aimed it at the car lock.

The Colonel sighed, rushing forwards. "Okay, okay, no soldiers! But at least take a few more people with you." She turned back and called to the people gathered around another set of jeeps. "Owen! Donna! Rose! James! You're on the taskforce with the Doctor and Amy for today!"

The Doctor opened the car door and poked his head around the bonnet, his gaze uncertain and pained as he stared at the Colonel. "Er, that's really not a good idea." He started quietly. His protest trailed off as the four ran towards them eagerly.

The four of them, along of Amy, clambered into the jeep, leaving the Colonel outside with the Doctor, who was still looking unsure. He told Owen, who was driving, to meet him near the exit and watched, biting his lip, as the car trundled off. He wheeled back to the Colonel, now glaring.

"Did you do that on purpose?" he demanded angrily.

The Colonel was confused. "Do what?"

"Pick the people involved in the paradox. Did you pick them to get back at me for doing all that stuff you didn't like? You _know_, I can't go with them. Not all four of them. Not together. It creates too much of a strain on Time."

"Then separate them, go with Amy, I really don't care." The Colonel tossed back at him, walking away as she was eager to get back to her paperwork. "Just take them with you!"


	36. Chapter 36

**CHAPTER 36**

**This is where it begins**

The Doctor sat uncomfortable in the passenger seat of the jeep as they sped towards their destination, which was an old aircraft hanger used in the World Wars, where several workers had been reported going missing. He had Owen beside him, with James, Rose and Donna in the back, and Amy in the boot, since it was a seven-seater. Nearly ever single person on this investigation with him was a ticking time bomb. Amy was the only normal person here.

"We're here." The Doctor said smoothly as the large grey hanger came into view among the many hills outside of London.

Once they had parked on the grass, the strange group climbed out of their car and began approaching the massive hanger with caution. It was actually two hangers joined together by one small corridor. To search this whole thing, they would need to split up.

The Doctor fished out his sonic screwdriver and took a few readings quickly, realising that the Rift levels here (they were still technically in London) were higher than usual.

Scrutinizing the building, the Doctor announced. "Okay, we split up. Amy, James, with me; we'll search the North hanger. Owen, Donna and Rose, search the South." Yes, that was a good decision; Amy because she was not a ticking time bomb and his best friend and James because he understood the Doctor's wariness of the others and the paradoxes.

Donna narrowed her eyes. "I see what you've done here."

"What?" the Doctor called back innocently as he pressed his ear up against the cold metal of the exterior of the hanger, listening closely for any signs of life forms inside.

To his surprise, it was Rose who answered, in a steely voice. "You've made sure that Donna, Owen and I are together and away from you because you don't want to be near us."

The Doctor froze slightly before taking another reading, not replying to either of his friends.

James sighed. "Rose, darling, it's not that the Doctor doesn't want to be near you. He wants to be near you, he wants to work with you. He just physically can't, okay? It physically and mentally hurts him to be so near a paradox. It would only take one accidental touch of you, Owen, Donna or me to make him pass out. Separating us is a way to make sure that the Doctor stays conscious through out this entire investigation."

"We could still do it together." Rose insisted. "We would all just have to be really careful…." She trailed off at the still uncertain look on the Doctor's face. He was scared. Scared of losing consciousness and something happening to them while he was down. She sighed. "Come on, Donna, Owen, let's go check out that South hanger."

As the three paradoxes trundled off and vanished into the rising mist, the Doctor stood up again, turning back around to face Amy and James. Amy gave him a small smile and took his hand, starting to drag him off towards the entrance doors of the North hanger, with James hurrying along behind.

The Doctor threw James a look of appreciation and thankfulness. "Thank you. For defending me." He said simply, a bit embarrassed.

"You're me." James grinned back. "I wasn't going to let you get shoved around by my wife, no matter the reason. She's only allowed to shove me around, that's the rules."

"I still feel bad for making them angry." The Doctor murmured guiltily, attempting to look at the ground as he was yanked along.

"They're not angry. They just… they just feel a bit disconnected. It's not just them. It's Martha and Mickey and Jack too. You've regenerated – to them, you're a totally different guy." Which was true. The Doctor was a totally different man. He had the same memories, the same hopes and dreams, but he had a new face, a new TARDIS and new companions. To them, he was a stranger.

"And to you?" The Doctor seemed generally interested in this question. Maybe it was the fact that he wanted _himself _to answer it.

"You're still a total show-offy idiot with a box." James chuckled, as the Doctor burst into laughter.

Amy stopped dragging the Doctor about and they realised they had reached the massive steel doors. Glancing at each other, the Doctor soniced the locks and they fell off easily. Taking one handle in each hand, the Doctor slowly pulled the doors open, revealing the terror inside.

On the ceiling of the hanger and huddled around the sides, hiding between the wreckages of ruined old fighter jets and planes, were hundreds, millions, of Silents. They all turned towards the door, facing Amy, James and the Doctor. The three of them didn't know they had been wandering forwards until the doors swung shut behind them, trapping them inside the hanger with the colony/clan/pack/whatever of Silents.

The Doctor backed up against the door, terrified and zapped it with his sonic screwdriver, desperately trying to pull it open while training an eye on a Silent so he wouldn't forget they were there. Amy and James started yanking at the doors too, but they refused to open.

"They've deadlocked them. There's no way out." James announced gravely.

The truth dawned on them as the Silents began to stagger towards him, their mouths opened devilishly and James was enlightened on the inspiration for the painting 'The Scream'.

The Doctor raised his screwdriver. "We're going to have to fight our way out."


	37. Chapter 37

**CHAPTER 37**

**Unexpected peril**

"I don't see why the Doctor can't be around us." Donna growled, kicking a bit of broken pipe with her foot as they entered the completely empty South hanger, ignoring the glares coming from Rose and Owen. "He's just looking for excuses again."

"Well, to be fair, he did pass out when you touched him." Owen reminded her. "It must be some weird Time Lord thing or something."

"He said he was time sensitive; that the paradoxes have effects on him…" Rose said lightly, before stopping, reaching down to touch a puddle of dirty water on the floor. "I wonder what that means…"

"Is he going to grow another head or something? Heaven forbid that day…he never shuts up now, what will he be like with _two _mouths?"

Rose laughed at Donna's remark. It was safe to laugh now. They had discovered the hanger to be completely empty except for a broken jet plane and a few scattered tools. The roof was cracked from rust and droplets of water dripped onto the floor, creating puddles, as it started to rain outside.

"Hey! Look what I've found!" Owen shouted.

Rose and Donna hurried towards him. Owen was examining another large metal door with a padlock on it. Owen was now fiddling with some wires on his belt and shaping them to pick the lock.

"This must be the door to the North hanger." Rose said aloud. "Nothing's here, no evidence. Should we go find the Doctor?"

"What's the point if he doesn't want us around?" Donna grumbled again. "Spaceman's head has gone all wonk-ey-ey." She muttered under her breath to the opening line of Muse's 'Supermassive Blackhole'.

The lock gave a satisfying click and the lock fell into Owen's open palm. Rose rushed forwards and helped drag the next door open. The corridor beyond was empty too, apart from spools of wire on the floor. Donna and Owen followed Rose through the long straight corridor until they reached the next door.

Frowning, Rose pressed her ear up against the door. Was that a gun being shot? Screaming? Whatever was happening in there, it wasn't good. Owen quickly handed her the lock pick wires and she had the door open in less than three seconds. As soon as they had the door open, they were attacked.

Silents surrounded them in a semi-circle, their arms outstretched and their squeamish hands reaching towards them. Without any hesitation, Owen and Rose shot them one by one, only pausing to reload their bullets. Once the aliens surrounding them were down, they raced towards the Doctor, Amy and James, who were in a truck load full of trouble.

The Doctor was waving his sonic at them, the sound waves causing the Silents to cower, and Amy was firing her guns randomly around, hitting many Silents (beginners luck) and clearing a path ahead of them. James meanwhile was karate chopping any aliens that approached too close to the Doctor (who was there target, obviously). Owen, Rose and Donna quickly joined them, shooting down any remaining aliens.

As another fifty Silents zombie-walked towards them, there was a crack and suddenly an auburn-haired teenager was firing a machine gun at the Silents, shooting the first row in front of them down in seconds.

"Alexia!" the Doctor yelped. "You came back!"

"Of course I came back!" the teenager yelled between the storms of bullets she unleashed. "I'm your friend! I wouldn't let you deal with this alone!"

"Can't you just write this out?" Amy shouted, firing at another alien.

"No! I don't control this anymore! This was never meant to happen! Too many paradoxes!" Alexia bellowed, forced backwards from the trajectory of the gun.

Finally, a clear path lay ahead of them. Sprinting through it, Alexia and Owen covered them from behind as they ran through the corridor back into the South hanger, which was easily defended, since the only way the Silents could approach was through the tunnel itself. Alexia passed her machine gun to Donna, who had no problems with it whatsoever, as she joined Rose and Owen in defending their hanger.

Before the Doctor knew what he was doing, he had ran forwards and was hugging Alexia so tightly she couldn't breath. Amy and James smirked at each other. Donna, James, Rose and Owen had no idea who this teenager was, but they could understand that she was a friend and not an enemy.

"Doctor! Can't – breath!" Alexia gasped.

The Doctor finally let go of her, holding her by her shoulders. "Thanks for coming back."

"My story, my rules. But apparently it's not anymore, and whoever took that power away from me is gonna pay." Alexia flashed a familiar evil grin.

"The paradoxes. 'Too many of them', you said." James recalled. "So… I'm guessing when you say, 'my story' that you mean you're writing it. So you no longer have control over what happens?"

Alexia shook her head. "Nope. All too timey-wimey and spacey-wacey. Complicated. I can't write anymore, because if I try to write, I'll be creating an even bigger paradox. The paradoxes you're already dealing with are impossible. If I create another one…" She glanced at the Doctor worriedly, who in her opinion should have been in the medical ward. "Let's just say 'things will get nasty'."


	38. Chapter 38

**CHAPTER 38**

**Nasty injuries and a final farewell**

Martha and Jack ran out to meet the Doctor on his return from the investigation. The jeep was parked a few metres ahead of them. The Doctor, Owen, Amy, Donna, Rose, James, and to their surprise Alexia, all clambered out of the car, looking battered, bruised and bloody in some cases. Tosh, Ianto, Gwen and Mickey were hurrying after Jack and Martha, rushing towards the group.

"What happened?" Martha gasped, immediately checking over the Doctor's wounds, that including burns on his arms and on his neck, with a few cuts and scratches.

"What do you expect when you willingly walk straight into a Silent nest?" Amy murmured as her own injuries were checked by Jack, who looked extremely worried for her. "Things didn't exactly go as planned."

"A Silent _nest?_" Gwen was shocked. "How many?"

"It must have been thousands." James told them, wrapping his own burnt wrist in an ice pack. "We couldn't count really. We had to fight our way out."

"If it wasn't for Alexia and her machine gun, we would be dead." Rose added.

The teenager had the worst injuries by far. She had engaged in a hand to hand fight with a Silent as the others had tried to pull open the South hanger door, since it was stiff with rust and residue. Her arm looked severely broken and she was limping, with many, many uncountable burns and cuts on her arms, legs, neck and face.

"But I thought you controlled this story?" Jack asked the girl, puzzled.

Alexia just shook her head and said simply, "Not any more."

Martha, Gwen and Jack helped the Doctor and his injured friends down to the medical ward, where they continued on their examinations. Owen and Rose didn't have many injuries, nor did Donna or Amy. It was only really James, the Doctor and Alexia who had the severe injuries.

As Martha gingerly picked up Alexia's broken arm, she watched as the teenager gritted her teeth and winced in pain. "We're going to have to use a cast." She informed the young girl. How old was she? Thirteen? Fourteen? "It won't hurt, just keep it secure."

"Yeah, yeah." The teenage said, as if it wasn't a big deal. She smiled at the Doctor, who was having ice pressed onto his burns. "How ya doing?"

"Fine. Ever had a cast before?" the Doctor asked, having listening in on Alexia's previous conversation.

"Yeah, once, when I fractured my ankle." Alexia blushed and admitted, "I tripped over a slide. I was only, like, six. I've had crutches though before." She looked back up at Martha. "Will I have to have a sling?"

Martha was about to inform her that she would indeed have to have a sling when suddenly, the Doctor bashed his head against the wall while trying to back away from a UNIT medic, who was trying to rub some sort of cream onto his wounds. At first, the Doctor's friends were worried that the cream would be poisonous to him or something, but when they discovered it was okay, they just concluded that the Doctor was scared about taking any drugs from any other medics, other than them, because of the incidence before.

The Colonel turned up an hour later when the others (Donna, James, Owen, Amy and Rose) had been released from the ward and it was only Alexia and the Doctor left in there, with Martha, Mickey and Jack fussing over them. The Doctor explained what had happened and how they had been forced to destroy the nest of Silents, with Alexia's help. The Colonel didn't really understand who Alexia was, but was willing to let her stay after being told what she could do.

"And you just… know how to fire a gun?" The Colonel questioned her, fascinated. "How old are you? Fourteen? Fifteen?"

"Thirteen." Alexia confirmed. "And yeah, I guess I just know. Nobody has ever taught me firearms or anything. I try to avoid violence if I can. I only kill if I really, really have to. So no ideas." She warned the Colonel.

The Colonel left soon after that, a bit disappointed since she had lost the chance to invite another talented member of the public onto their team. The Doctor and Alexia were forced to stay in the ward over night, since they were still in some form of shock and pain. Amy and Rory came and visited them (Rory had been back in Leadworth when they had returned) during the night since they refused to sleep.

Once the sun had steadily risen and Amy and Rory and all the other medics had left to collect breakfast, both Alexia and the Doctor slipped out of their beds.

"You're going now, aren't you?" the Doctor asked her with a sad smile.

Alexia nodded, a smile playing at her lips as she hugged this incredible man tightly. "I'm sorry, Doctor. I have to leave. This story has to move forwards. Staying here with you is only delaying it."

The Doctor released her. "Thanks for saving my life." He tucked a strand of auburn hair behind her ear and then questioned quietly, "Is this the last time I will ever see you?" He gazed at her strangely. Somehow, he _knew _her; knew her other than from here. And he had a feeling that it wasn't over, but he couldn't help but ask.

The young teenager shot him a strange look. Had he realised who she was yet? "I don't know. You're always going to need me around and I'm betting on saving your life _again_…. so this won't be the last, at least, I don't think."

The Time Lord and the teenager embraced each other warmly, and Alexia silently shed a tear. She knew what was going to happen. And it was terrible. She had no control over it, and she could not change it. Alexia quickly wiped away the tear and stood back, waving while grinning at her friend. She tapped the buttons on her vortex manipulator and after one last wink, vanished.


	39. Chapter 39

**CHAPTER 39**

**Good days and bad days**

"Where's Alexia now?" Martha questioned the Doctor uneasily.

It had only been a few hours since the farewell for the Time Lord, but his friends didn't know that. Amy and Rory had returned from breakfast, along with Jack, Rose and James, to find Alexia's bed empty, and the Doctor looking miserable nearby, just leaning against the wall and staring at it. Now, back in the main office, the Doctor was fiddling around with spools of wires, a thingamabob from the TARDIS and his sonic screwdriver, watched by the large group of his friends along with many UNIT guards and the Colonel. It was the Doctor's strangely uncertain and down behaviour that had made Martha ask what had happened, and Amy had promptly told her about the vanishing act.

The Doctor sighed. "I don't know, Martha. Why does everybody expect me to know everything?" Something was definitely up. "Look, she's gone, and there's nothing I can do. She had to leave, due to the paradoxes."

James, Donna and Rose glanced at each other guiltily. So it had been their fault that their teenage saviour had vanished? "Doctor, we can leave if it makes things better." Rose offered. "I mean, if it makes things easier for you and the TARDIS…."

"Don't you dare, Rose Tyler." the Doctor said firmly, staring up at her from playing with his gadget. "I lost you before, and I'm not losing you again. Besides, it won't make any difference; it's best if I keep the paradoxes close to me so I know what effect could take place rather than very far away so I'm totally in the dark."

"But you said it _hurts _you."

"Doesn't matter." The Doctor tried to say confidently. "You're my friends, and friends stick together." The Doctor paused and turned to Amy. "Did I get that right, Pond?"

"Why does he call you Pond?" Mickey interrupted, flashing a curious look at the Doctor's ginger companion.

"Dunno, does he have to have a reason?" Amy laughed, watching her raggedy man fondly, smiling at him.

Gwen looked between Amy and the Doctor. "So… you're his mother in-law." She said, pointing to Amy. "What's that about? Jack said the mothers all hate you, Doctor. So how come your wife's mum is travelling with you? It doesn't make sense."

"Long story." Rory smiled. "And it happens to include an apple, a box, a cot, a space ship, a psychopath and a lake."

"A psychopath?" Tosh said, alarmed. "God, Doctor, the people you get involved with these days…"

"And did he mention that his wife is that certain killer?" Amy grinned slyly.

"HIS WIFE IS A PSYCHOPATH?" Rose screeched. "Okay, I am never letting you out of my sight again, Mr Time Lord."

The Doctor flashed a glare at Rory and Amy as he attempted to concentrate on his wiring. They obviously weren't going to get a conversation out of him. The Torchwood team, along with Mickey, Jack and Rory (he was now terrified the Doctor would throw him into the Vortex), wandered off chatting about coffee and what was for dinner that night, leaving Martha, Rose, James, Amy and Donna with the Doctor. James, Rose and Donna left soon after, realising that seeing as the Doctor was practically alone with them, it was making him uncomfortable again. Amy and Donna shrugged and decided to go and get some green tea (which was Amy's favourite) and take about ginger stuff. The Colonel shot a look at the Doctor before motioning for her guards to leave him. And that left the Doctor alone with Martha again.

Martha bit her lip. She had recently been a bit harsh and hard towards the Doctor, not accepting him as the man she had known. But seeing him now, surrounded by friends, she realised that he was most definitely the same man.

"Did it hurt?" Martha asked quietly.

The Doctor immediately knew what she was talking about: his regeneration. He couldn't lie to her. Not again. Finally, he admitted, "It always hurts."

"Were you…" Martha gulped, horrified by the thought. "…alone?"

"Yes, I was alone." The Doctor replied; he was more reluctant to answer but replied all the same. "I prefer to be alone when it happens."

Martha couldn't help but say, "You weren't alone when you regenerated with Rose."

The Doctor looked up from his work, pain in his old wise eyes. "Yes, but that was a mistake. She should've been with Mickey back on Earth. Look, Martha, I have my good days and my bad days. On the good days, I save the universe and everybody lives happily ever after. On my bad days, things get more complicated. That day was neither. It was good because I saved Rose from dying. It was bad because I regenerated."

Martha nodded, looking at the floor. She got that bit. Things could happen either way and time could be rewritten. She found herself wondering if the Doctor missed travelling with her. He had Amy and Rory and his wife now, but would he still care for all his old friends now he had a family and a new face? "Doctor, do you miss me?"

"Miss you in what way?"

"Do you miss travelling with me?"

The Doctor grinned. "Martha, Martha, Martha… you think that because now that I've changed and I've got a new family, I don't care about you or Jack or Donna." He laughed and Martha found herself worried even more. "Humans can be so stupid sometimes; no offence. Seriously? You are my family. I lost my real family in the Time War, but when I found you guys, I realised that I had one again. You, Jack, Mickey, Donna, Rose, James, Amy, Rory, you're all my family. So don't think for a second that I've forgotten you."

He winked at her before connecting two wires that crackled with electricity and emitted a large amount of smoke. Martha smiled and ran to help him with it. She had her answer. Now she just needed to stop the Time Lord from setting the building on fire.


	40. Chapter 40

**CHAPTER 40**

**"Who's ready for another field trip?"**

"Who's ready for a field trip?" the Doctor asked happily as he chucked his sonic screwdriver up and down in the air, leaning against the recently appeared TARDIS, who had returned after the Doctor had convinced her that the paradoxes would not effect the time rotor. "Who wants to have a little _fun_ since last night was not exactly what I would call _pleasurable _or _amusing_."

"Oi, Doctor, don't get cocky with me." Donna warned him in _her tone_. "That trip to McDonalds was Ianto's idea, not mine."

"Okay, so that unfortunate trip to McDonalds and the fight with the ketchup sachets was not Donna's fault." The Doctor said, really hoping that he wouldn't get slapped again. "But who wants to go on a _real _field trip? One of _my _field trips?" The Doctor was still smiling joyfully as he patted his little blue box and she purred (not like a cat, but a kind of groan of pleasure) beneath his touch.

"What do you mean by field trip?" Jack asked with narrowed eyes. He was becoming more and more wary of this new Doctor's ideas of fun. Getting shot ten times by an angry peasant during the French Revolution (the entertainment from the night before, since the TARDIS had turned up for that) was not really his idea of fun.

"Basically, we're going to bust into the Silence base (which I have discovered is underneath the Empire State Building) and we're going to blow the place up and hopefully get revenge on the evil woman who stole Amy's baby and trained her to kill me!" The Doctor clapped gleefully.

Jack's face lit up. "Now that's _my _kind of field trip! I'm in, Doc!"

"It's _Doctor _and who else wants to come?"

Nobody else raised a hand. Nobody else volunteered. The Doctor and Jack glanced at each other, faces falling in disappointment. It couldn't only be…

"I said, who else wants to come?" the Doctor repeated brightly. When nobody answered, he became desperate. "Amy, Rory?"

"Yeah… I would, but I'm not immortal like Captain Kirk." Amy said, smirking at Jack's expression. "Sorry, Doctor, but this time I'm sitting out. Rory is too."

"I get nervous when the words 'Doctor' and 'explosives' are in the same sentence." Rory told them, stuttering slightly. "So, a no go for me."

Finally, after a moment of silence, Gwen sighed. "I'll come. But only if I don't end up dead." She added, holding up a finger. "No deaths, okay?"

The Doctor beamed. "Excellent! Two volunteers! That means…." He shot a look at the Colonel. "How many people do we need on one trip, Colonel?"

"Seeing how dangerous this is, I'd say about five or six." The Colonel confirmed, staring the Doctor firmly in the eye, determined not to be persuaded and bent to his will again. "Preferably six."

"Okay, three down, three to go. Gwen, Jack and the Doctor. Who's next?" Not a sound; silence. The Doctor sighed and crossed his arms. "Fine, since you're all being so difficult, I'll choose for you. Mickey the idiot, you're in. As is James, since he's me and good in a crisis. And finally, Colonel Susan Mace."

The Colonel looked up from her iPhone, shocked and bewildered. "Sorry, what? I can't come on a field trip with you!"

"Well apparently you want somebody from UNIT escorting us there, since you've hidden Private Reeds behind the TARDIS so he can follow us in." The Doctor's lips turned up at the corners in a small smile at the Colonel's guilty face. "Yes, yes, I know all about that. So _you _can come with us. That fits in nicely, I think."

"So we're going to blow this place up?" James asked, with a wide smile.

"Yep! We'll be in, out, and we'll… shake it all about… and we'll be back here by no time!"

"What are we going to blow the base up with?" Gwen asked curiously.

The Doctor snapped his fingers at her, pleased with the Torchwood deputy greatly. "Brilliant question, Gwen Cooper. We will be blowing the base up with – this!" he cried out, pulling out his jumble of wires.

Jack stared. "We're blowing up a secret base with a toy you made?"

"It's not a toy!" the Doctor protested. "It's an equivalent of a Time Bomb!" He halted, mostly because everyone had suddenly looked up in interest. Most had not heard much about anything to do with the Time Lords, and a Time Bomb sounded very much like something the Time Lords would use. "Very powerful used in the Time War, planted in Dalek ships." The Doctor showed them his impression of a ship exploding loudly and nobody blinked, since the Doctor had probably seen this happen himself. "Obviously not just stuff made of Time, as that would be dangerous, stupid and impossible; it's got some normal Earth explosives in it too."

"So we'll attach it to the Papal Mainframe and it will explode." James added.

"And how long do we have to escape before it explodes?" Mickey asked worriedly.

The Doctor opened his mouth to reply before stopping himself. "Doesn't matter. Look on the bright side, no more babies will ever be stolen again! Now come on you lot! We've got a base to destroy!" The Doctor's eagerness to explode the base made Amy a little concerned, but she really couldn't care less. These people had kidnapped Melody. And they were gonna pay.

Mickey the very irritated idiot, James the excited half-Time Lord and the bemused and nervous Colonel stepped forwards to join the taskforce and the Doctor gave his remaining friends a cheery wave before inviting Jack, Gwen, James, Mickey and Mace into the TARDIS.

He walked in and, as he predicted, Private Reeds scuttled forwards and caught the door. He silently edged it open only to come face to face with a very angry Time Lord. He was kicked out and was forced to stay on the sidelines as a very grumpy observer.

Martha leaned in and whispered to Amy, "Will they get killed?"

"Oh yes! There's a positive, definite one hundred percent chance that they all, at some point in the day, be killed."


	41. Chapter 41

**CHAPTER 41**

**Six minutes**

The Doctor stepped warily out of the TARDIS, very much hoping to not be surrounded. Jack and Mickey poked their heads out from behind the doors, almost jumping back in surprise. They were surrounded, of course.

The Doctor motioned for them to exit, so Mickey, Jack, James, Gwen and the Colonel all joined the Doctor, firmly shutting the TARDIS doors behind them, standing in front of the Doctor's ship nervously. Ten Silents stood in a circle around them, covering all angles, so they could not escape.

"There goes our plan then." Jack breathed to himself.

They had materialized in the main hall, which was shockingly empty. It looked like a massive aircraft hanger, but was completely made of metal with bright white lights added with infra-red shining down on the occupants.

The sharp sound of metal high heels against the metal floor caused the Doctor to look up, eyes narrowed untrustingly. Kovarian strolled casually towards them, her eyes cold and dark, dressed in her usual short silver-grey dress and heels.

"Kovarian." The Doctor greeted her in his normal tone, trying to keep his anger under control.

"Doctor." Kovarian greeted him back, smiling darkly. She knew this man well. "Lovely to see you again."

"I would say me too, but last time you practically ruined my whole life, so it's a bit hard for me to feel joyful right now."

Jack, Gwen and James could not help but feel reassured at the Doctor's relaxed voice, as he knew what was going to happen and why.

Kovarian nodded. "I see. So you've caught up with our time line."

"More likely you've caught up with mine. I'm the Time Lord, I come first." The Doctor reminded her, with a blasé grin. He was alarmed, but decided not to show it, no matter what happened. He needed to stay calm and cool. Calm and cool…

Kovarian raised an eyebrow at the Doctor's nonchalant tone. She glanced at the Silents around them to back down and they slowly turned away and began creeping back into the shadows, unseen but unforgotten. The Doctor watched a few of them go, a little uncertain. This was most certainly a trap. A trap so complex that Kovarian felt at ease to talk with them unguarded.

"Doctor, I would very much like to speak to you." Kovarian told the Time Lord respectively.

"I guessed as much."

Kovarian turned on heel and strode away, confident that the Doctor and his friends would follow. The Time Lord gazed quickly at each of his friends, sending them a psychic message before wheeling back around, clasping his hands behind his back and hurrying after Madame Kovarian. Jack, Gwen and James shared a knowing look before following them both, with the Colonel and Mickey scuttling behind.

"I was quite surprised when the TARDIS materialized so soon after you discovered our base." Kovarian said in a laid-back fashion, still striding ahead. "You certainly don't waste time."

"Why waste time when you have so little?" the Doctor replied back mysteriously, with another offhand little smile. He was even more alarmed now that he was walking straight into her hands, but repeated the command in his head. Calm and cool.

"Good question." Kovarian commented. "Which brings me to ask, since last time we met in the cell we had no time at all to speak properly, how are you still alive?"

"Long story, too long and complicated to tell at this moment, ask Amy and Rory later." The Doctor answered. "But let's just say for the meantime that your weapon… defused, or emptied itself. She proved that efficiently to me, her mother, her father, and to you."

"Not to me. You speak as if you saw me before the UNIT cells."

"In an alternative reality, maybe."

Kovarian chuckled. "All these riddles, Doctor. It's a real shame that…" The cold woman trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished, although the group knew the meaning well.

"Yes, it is." The Doctor replied politely, looking around the metal corridor.

Kovarian lifted her wrist to glance at her wrist. "Six." She said indifferently, as if that was nothing to worry about.

_Six minutes. The Doctor had six minutes to live. He had six minutes to do whatever he wanted to. He had six minutes to attach that Time Bomb to the Papal Mainframe and blow the place sky high. It was impossible, which was what made the Doctor believe so much he could achieve it. Six minutes to live._


	42. Chapter 42

**CHAPTER 42**

**No title, since it will ruin the cliff hanger**

The Doctor grabbed James and Gwens' wrists and ran. Jack, the Colonel and Mickey sprinted after them, panting, as the Doctor skidded to a halt to jump down a set of spiral stairs, a look of pure determination plastered to his face.

"Six, what did she mean by six?" Gwen wheezed, hurrying after the Time Lord.

"Six minutes to live." The Doctor yelled back, since he was already at the bottom of the staircase and waiting for them. "I've got six minutes to do anything I want, try anything I want, before every Silent in this place is set against me."

"And how many Silents?" Jack shouted back, leaping down four steps at a time and passing Gwen, who was in front, reaching the Doctor at the bottom. "How many, Doctor?"

"I dunno, not really sure, but millions, maybe billions more than what were at the warehouse, for sure. Come ON!" the Doctor yelled. The Colonel and Mickey quickened their pace down the stairs and reached the Doctor in three seconds flat.

Starting to run again, James began to think that this was going to be impossible. They had six minutes. _The Doctor _had six minutes. Six minutes to live. To do and try anything he wanted. They would never make it back to the TARDIS on time at this rate, if they were going to wire in the Time Bomb. But the Doctor was determined, so he must be determined.

Jack linked his hand with Gwen to power her along more and helped pull the Colonel faster, sprinting after their Time Lord friend, trying to keep up.

The Doctor slid to a stop by a massive power hatch. He zapped it with the sonic screwdriver and yanked it open. Hundreds of multi-coloured wires were joined to power plants and the Doctor immediately dived into them, grabbing his Time Bomb from Mickey, who had been holding it.

"Gwen, Mickey, Colonel, keep a look out." The Doctor ordered them sharply. "I want to know if you see one Silent. For some reason you'll remember it though, so keep that in mind!"

Jack and James watched helplessly as the Doctor began to disconnect wires and fuse them with the Time Bomb. Jack glanced at his vortex manipulator. _Four minutes_.

"Doctor, we have four minutes!" Jack shouted.

"YES, I KNOW, JACK." The Doctor bellowed, hands twitching about madly through wires, trying to sort them.

James leapt in to help the Doctor. The duplicate started rearranging the wires while the Doctor finished connecting the wires to the Bomb. The Papal Mainframe was fighting back like crazy, scrambling James' thoughts, unknown to Jack. _Two minutes._

"DONE!" The Doctor yelled. "RUN RUN RUN! WE HAVE TWO MINUTES!"

They sprinted through a maze of metal corridors, leaping back up the stairs just as a red siren began to whiz around on the ceiling and a shrill wail rang echoingly through the base. Their six minutes were up. They were not going to make it. They rounded a corner, about to give up hope, but then the familiar blue police box flashed into sight, groaning.

"GET IN!" the Doctor screeched, throwing Jack his key as he turned around again and began to run – _in the opposite direction_.

"DOCTOR! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Mickey yelped from the TARDIS doors as their Time Lord friend sprinted away from them.

The Doctor stopped and turned around, his face contorted with agony. And that was when the Doctor's strange psychic message from earlier on that day finally made sense.

_I did it for my family_.

James shouted out, realising and started towards him, but the Doctor help up a steady hand. _NO_. Gwen tugged James back towards the TARDIS as the Doctor began walking briskly down the corridor again.

Explosions were rocking the base, pipes bursting and fire spreading across the floor. Silents crept from the shadows screaming silently as they were torn down by the flames, engulfed by the inferno.

Jack, Gwen and the Colonel stared as the Doctor reached the end of the silver and red corridor, unaffected by the raging fire or stirrings of the aliens. The Time Lord turned and stood, his eyes filled with pain and love as he gazed at his friends for what felt like the last time.

Hopefully, once he was dead, the Silence would leave his friends alone and stop creating paradoxes. Hopefully, River and Jack and Amy and Rory would all be able to set things right again, get time back on track.

Jack saluted to his old friend, his lip trembling. Gwen saluted beside him, her other hand clasping Jack's hand, searching for comfort. The Colonel did a full scale salute, deadly serious The Doctor gave them his old crooked smile that showed that he was proud of them both and that he trusted them completely, before lifting his hand to his head in a mock salute and stalking back into the chaos, vanishing beyond.

The TARDIS doors slammed shut in front of Jack, the Colonel and Gwen as the levers and buttons on the console began to randomly move by themselves – the ship was steering herself. Mickey, the Colonel, Jack, James and Gwen stood helplessly by the console, grieving silently for their lost saviour. What would they tell the others?

"Jack." Gwen whimpered.

"I know." Jack said simply, staring through the glass flooring. "He's… gone."

The truth had been spoken. The Doctor had gone. He had killed himself to save his friends, to save the Earth and the universe itself, securing Time. No more paradoxes would be made, and Time and Space would return to normal. There would be no more destruction or death.

All because of the death of one man.

And it seemed like an awfully high price they'd had to pay.


	43. Chapter 43

**CHAPTER 43**

**Geronimo!**

The Doctor raced down the corridor, leaping over flames that were fanning out behind him, roaring in protest as the Time Lord dashed away from the inferno, panting. He skidded around another corner, dodging two cowering Silents, only to find his first escape option blocked by a tangled mess of scorching pipes and ventilation shafts, the thin silver metal red hot, totally covering the path between death and freedom.

Since the Doctor was a man who always liked to have a Plan B, or 2, or two of those little italic 'I' things, he wheeled around, leaping over another burst of flames and avoiding being squashed to death by a falling shaft, sprinting down the next corridor.

Distantly he could here the wheezing and churning as the TARDIS dematerialized without him. Feeling terrible that he'd had to leave his friends, telling them that he'd have to go through with his death, the Doctor was still glad that he's allowed the TARDIS to make her own escape.

As the Doctor swung around another corner, he crashed head first into a fuming and extremely angry Madame Kovarian, who was screaming his name at the top of her voice while screeching curses. Kovarian glared at the Time Lord, gnashing her teeth, his arms locked in her vice like grip.

"Yeah, kinda busy right now." The Doctor told her, pulling away and rushing around another corner.

"DOCTAAA!" Kovarian screamed, stamping he heels on the ground, breaking them in the progress. "YOU WILL PAY THE ULTIMATE PRICE!"

"I KNOW!" The Doctor yelled back, although he was no longer facing the wretched woman, darting for the exit. "BUT YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT! I'M OCCUPIED RIGHT NOW WITH MY OWN IMPENDING DEATH."

There was no reply as the Doctor scampered forwards, grinning gleefully as he reached the second exit leading up to the world above. He was about to crash through the door when the ventilation shafts above snapped and smashed onto the ground before him, rendering another escape route useless. The Doctor though, being the sort of man who knew that his second plan might not work, had _another _plan, a Plan C, or three, or three of those little italic 'i' things or one of those strange bullet point thingamabobs.

However, his Plan C was a failure, because the Ponds weren't there, nor the TARDIS and neither was River. Oh well. He would just have to stick to coming up with a completely brilliant plan when he was about to die, then.

Forcing a massive slab of metal aside, he reached into his jacket pocket and fumbled for the sonic screwdriver and psychic paper. A door to the level above was standing in front of him, not enveloped by flames, and all he needed was a security code card.

"Come on, come on, come on." The Doctor urged, looking back to check he was in no danger of being shot or anything as he pointed his screwdriver at the look and squeezed his eyes shut briefly in hope.

The Doctor zapped the door lock once and flashed his psychic paper onto the scanner. Satisfyingly, the door slid open. Staggering inside, the Doctor pressed the button for the top level and waited. The screaming of Silents and people burning to death could be heard from outside the lift, but the Time Lord happily focused on the Carmen that was playing through the speakers above his head.

"It's me, playing the triangle." The Doctor told himself quietly, a grin spreading across his face as he heard the faint sound of the twang of the triangle in the background of the music.

The Doctor turned to throw back a defensive comment at Amy, only to realise that she wasn't there and had not protested about his playing of the triangle. The Doctor sighed. How he missed his Ponds. He was certain that they would leave him soon. Of course, he was further ahead than them. He had seen their future. He had seen them… divorce. They had fought Daleks and Dinosaurs and he had fought to keep them both alive in the past, so they could be together. And all of it, _all of it_, had been wasted for some stupid human misunderstanding. He couldn't tell them that, because it was in there future. But it would happen. And he wouldn't be able to stop it.

As soon as the Doctor reached the top level and flung the doors of the 'lift' open, he immediately knew that he'd made a _huge _mistake. Soldiers from the levels below were fleeing the burning base desperately. Meaning that the Doctor was now surrounded by people who wanted to kill him.

The Doctor put his hands over his head, took a deep breath, shouted out and ran through the crowd, very much hoping that he would not get shot. There were a few rings of bullets but he was not hit fortunately, since most of the soldiers were intent on escaping. To ensure he was not going to be murdered though, the Doctor decided to carry on along this corridor he was standing in to find another exit along this floor.

Flames were eating up the metal floor hungrily, like they were covered in some flammable liquid, and the Doctor sprinted through them, choking on the smoke but still running forwards, his eyes locked ahead. He heard a distant shout of somebody pursuing him, and quickly realised without turning around that it was Kovarian. The Doctor had to admit she was smart. He always had an escape plan; he always survived. If Kovarian followed him, she had a better chance at survival too.

But he also had to show her that he was dead; which was going to be hard, since she was right behind him. Unless…the Doctor reached into his pocket and yanked out the fire-proof Christmas tree spray that he had stolen from Amy's house at Christmas. He quickly sprayed it over himself, hoping that Kovarian didn't see it.

The inferno in front of him was building quickly, blocking the exit, towering above the floor and reaching up to the ceiling. Molten metal dripped down onto the floor as the fire spread again, this time around the Doctor, surrounding him. There was no choice in the matter; he would have to jump.

The Doctor took a deep breath. "Geronimo." He whispered.

The Doctor leapt into the flames, vanishing in the fire, and a few seconds later, when the blaze had died done, was gone.


	44. Chapter 44

**CHAPTER 44**

**Grieving death**

As soon as Gwen stepped out of the TARDIS, her eyes half closed with exhausting and half in mourning, she was jumped on by Martha, who hugged her tightly in an embrace. Gwen briefly hugged back, still in a state of shock from what she had just witnessed. She had witnessed the Doctor's death. Not everybody got to say, or see, that.

Amy had an arm around James and Jack and was trying to cuddle Mickey as well. Mickey's face was blank, as was Jack's, but James'… was just a mask of agony and pain. The Colonel was nearby and Rory had his arms around her waist and would not let go. Owen, Tosh, Ianto, Donna and Rose were next in line to hug everybody. They didn't know yet. But they would find out soon enough.

After a few minutes, Amy finally realised. "Where's the Doctor?"

James, Jack, Gwen, Mickey and the Colonel looked at each other. How were they going to explain it? How? It was such a terrible story. Why did it have to happen?"

"James, where's the Doctor?" Rose asked, her eyes clouding with worry.

"I – er – we – um…." Mickey stuttered, unable to break the news.

"Where is he?" Amy demanded. "Where is the Doctor? Tell me _now_, somebody."

Gwen and Jack glanced at each other, and then, together, they slowly explained what had happened, up to the bit where they had finished installing the Time Bomb and were running back. Jack stopped and put his face in his hands. It was up to Gwen to tell them.

Gwen struggled to explain it right. "We… we ran back to the TARDIS. Stuff was exploding and there was a lot of fire, and when I say a lot of fire, I mean it was everywhere. We all got inside the TARDIS because… because the Doctor threw Jack the key…" Sobs began to shake Gwen's frame. "And the Doctor… he stayed behind." She finally wailed.

Silence. Complete silence. Amy and Rory stared at her, unable to process the words she had just said. The Doctor wouldn't have stayed behind. He would have escaped. This was just some weird prank he was playing on them. Except, Gwen looked like she was properly, properly crying. And Jack was distraught. And the Colonel was not speaking. And James was just….

"He _did _stay behind." Amy murmured. "He stayed behind to die, so that the Silence would spare us and stop the destruction on Earth. He sacrificed himself for _us_. To stop the impossible paradoxes."

"Are you saying, ginger, that the Doctor killed himself… _for us_?" Owen looked shocked. "_Whoa. _He really is an amazing man, isn't he?"

Martha was shaking. "You mean, 'he really _was _an amazing man, _wasn't _he?'. Conditional clause." At those two last words, she burst into tears.

Amy couldn't help but wonder what the conditional clause thing was about. But then again, she couldn't help but wonder why in the name of _hell _the Doctor had been so stupid to stay behind and kill himself for them without her permission. "My son-in-law is dead." She said to herself quietly. "The greatest man in the universe _is dead_."

"Oy, he's not dead." Donna said, though she was obviously stressed. "Don't be an idiot, of course he's not dead. He's the Doctor, he's Spaceman and Martian and he's… so…not….dead." Though, as she said the last word, she knew that Amy was right. He was dead and there was nothing they could do about it.

"I think I want to be alone for a while." Amy said, her tone squeaky. "I think…maybe I should call River. And tell her. Although that will only stress her out. I think…" She suddenly burst into tears, like Martha had. "I don't _know _what to think anymore! He said he trusted us, but he didn't. He said he wouldn't leave us, and _now _look what he's gone and done. He's done a _stupid thing_ like always without anybody there to stop from and now he's got himself in a _stupid situation again _because he's too stupid and too much of an idiot to realise that I need him."

Amy's short speech had everybody momentarily stunned by her approach of the situation, but then, the wailing continued, even louder this time, after a moment or two.

"It was my job to help protect him." Rory mumbled, tears coming to his Centurion eyes. "He went around acting all crazy like a kid and eating and licking things and I had to help Amy and River keep him on a leash so he wouldn't end up with his nose against the pavement."

"I wish I could just tell him how much I missed him in that parallel world." Rose was the only one who was really keeping it together. She had grown tough working for Torchwood in that parallel universe and she had not had a good blub for the last six years. "I thought of him every day at work. I never used violence. He hated guns…"

The Colonel pulled off her beret and sniffed, refusing to cry. She called for silence and once nobody was talking, or crying or weeping (though there was a lot of tear-dabbing, hugging and sniffing) she held her red beret in her hands in mourning, grieving for the man she had not really known at all. "I did not get the privilege of knowing the Doctor as you all did. But I found that I didn't need to, not really, and that I think I knew him at his best. The Doctor was the best, greatest and bravest man I have ever known and will ever know. He was valiant and courageous and maybe slightly insane, but we will all remember his sacrifice to the human race. He was magnificent and marvellous and terrifying and wonderful and fearless and daring and dazzling and you're standing right behind me, aren't you, Doctor?"

"Oh yeah."


	45. Chapter 45

**CHAPTER 45**

**So…not dead. Not dead at all. Not really sure how this is going to play out.**

Every single person looked up, shocked, to see a man wearing a slightly singed bow tie, leaning casually on the TARDIS with a humongous grin plastered to his face as though he had been enjoying listening to this speech. He waved one hand and motioned for the Colonel to carry on, waiting for her patiently to continue. Everybody stared.

"Go on, carry on, I was getting into that." The Doctor urged the Colonel.

"You. Are. Not. Dead." Amy said, her eyes wide.

"Er, no, I'm not. I'm very much alive. At least, I hope I'm alive. Wouldn't want to find out later that I'm a Nestene Duplicate or Flesh or something… but yes, Pond, I'm alive!" The Doctor flashed her a bold grin that quickly evaporated at Amy's expression.

"Oh. My. God." Amy stood there, glaring at this man. Then she ran forwards, drew her fist back and punched him, sending him sprawling out onto the ground. "YOU IDIOT!" she screeched. "HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO ME?"

The Doctor picked himself up with one elbow, rubbing his face and mumbled to Jack, "Really? How long then?"

"Only a few hours at the most." Jack told the very much _alive _Time Lord with a dashing grin.

"THERE I WAS, THINKING YOU WERE DEAD, WHEN YOU WERE LISTENING THE WHOLE TIME?"

"Not the whole time!" the Doctor protested. He paused. "By the way, Martha, how did you find out about the conditional clause thing? It was only me and Ross, I swear…."

"I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!" Amy yelled, throwing herself at the Doctor, who scrambled desperately away. "I AM GOING TO PULVERIZE YOU, YOU MAD MAN WITH A BOX!"

As Amy screeched at the Doctor and punched him continuously. The Doctor curled up in a little ball, covering his head. Jack and Mickey were finally forced to yank Amy away, who was a furious little Scottish flame, shouting at the Doctor angrily.

"Rassilon, where did you pick up a right hook like _that_?" the Doctor gasped.

"WHEN I WAS PRACTICALLY BEING HELD CAPTIVE BECAUSE OF YOU!" Amy spat, her eyes wild with fury. "I HAD TO DEFEND MYSELF AND MY BABY BECAUSE YOU, YOU INSANE UNCONTROLABLE IDIOT, TURNED UP LATE _AGAIN!"_

"Guess I really deserved that punch." The Doctor mumbled, helped up by Donna and Rose, who were just staring at him without blinking. "And seriously, did you all really think I was dead?"

"YES!" Everybody yelled.

The Doctor threw his arms into the air. "Well that puts me in my place then. If you all have no trust in me whatsoever, I'll just leave now, shall I?"

The Doctor snapped his fingers and the TARDIS doors flew open beside him in less than a second. The Doctor stepped into his spaceship gave a little wave and was about to close the doors on them when a hand obstructed him. It was Donna.

"Now look here you big out of space dunce, don't cha think that you've hurt us enough?" Donna growled. "You're saying that it was all our fault when it's really _yours, _Spaceman, but _noo _it's not your fault, it's _never _your fault. You think that you can just stagger around in your spaceship, jumping here and leaping there, ordering Time about so it just flows straight through you and everything while we actually use our own effort to survive?"

"Time Lord, TARDIS, yeah."

"Donna, Human, no!"

The Doctor burst out laughing a second later, with Donna roaring in amusement next to him. Martha and Amy shrugged at each other; a shared memory perhaps?

"What the hell is going on?" James spluttered, obviously not catching on to the old memory despite being there.

"Oh, just something that happened in old Pompeii; you were there, you should remember. Now _that _brings me back. So, basically, Donna had just started travelling with me and I wanted something good to kick it off, so…"

"Oy, don't change the subject, Timeboy!" Donna squawked.

"Look, maybe we should just let this all go." Rory suggested with a smirk at both his wife and the Doctor. "And Amy, please behave." He added, seeing his wife's murderous glance towards her best friend.

"Yes, Mrs Pond, _please _behave." The Colonel said, smiling, waiting to give the Doctor the good news of what he would have to provide her with. "Now, Doctor, you know what I'm going to ask for…"

The Doctor groaned. "Oh Rassilon no."

"What does she want?" Tosh asked Jack curiously.

Jack was grinning brightly. "Oh, I think you'll find out soon enough…."

"…you weeded out of it last time, but you're not escaping me _this _time, Doctor, no matter how much you protest or fiddle with Time. It's that time again." The Colonel sang in a sing-song voice, smiling.

The Doctor's expression was terrified. "Oh please no. Oh _god _no."

"What is she talking about?" Amy demanded.

Martha laughed, knowing what the Doctor dreaded most of all when working for UNIT. His terrified and bored expression said it all. His pout was adorable as he tried once again to squeeze out of it. But the Colonel took the Doctor firmly by the arm and dragged him away.

Martha laughed again at the Doctor's glance back at her, which clearing said, _I'll give you anything if you get me out of this_. "A full report."


	46. Chapter 46

**CHAPTER 46**

**Bedtime and a secret pregnancy…**

"That was TERRIBLE." The Doctor groaned. "I had to sit in a chair, and mind you this was _not _a very comfy chair, and for an hour I had to talk about what happened to me while she asked me horrible questions. It was TORTURE."

"I can imagine." Amy giggled. She was back in her old mood, no longer angry with her imaginary friend. "Drink your tea and we can get you straight to bed, mister. It's nearly eleven o'clock." She added, gazing up at the clock hanging above her head.

Donna, Rose and James were huddled around the Doctor and his companion, listening to the Time Lord complain while Amy commented about many things.

"You sound like his mother." James laughed.

The Doctor sighed. "She practically _is _my mother…"

"Now, now, Mr Time Lord, don't get clever with your twin. Time for bed, both of you." Amy said, deadly serious.

Both James and the Doctor rolled their eyes. "Yes, _mum_." They both chorused, standing up and trudging out of the room.

Amy winked as she guided her two 'sons' out of the main office and down the stairs beyond towards where the TARDIS was being stored. The Time Locks applied on her would ensure that the Doctor would not be able to just take off. Donna and Rose smirked at James and the Doctors' expressions as they were shepherded down the stairway by the Doctor's ginger companion.

"Give them a goodnight kiss from me." Donna teased them, giving Amy a quick wink as a joke.

Amy saluted, still very serious, before laughing and pushing the Doctor by the back down out of view. She appeared, minutes later, with a smug smile on her face as she settled down beside Rose on the sofa, crossing her ankles.

"You didn't _really _give them a goodnight kiss, did you?" Rose asked, biting her lip to hold back from giggling, imagining her husband's expression.

"I am very serious about Mother Work." Amy told them, straightening her smile and acting very sombre. "If they don't get their proper sleep, they won't be able to work well in the morning. Oh, don't forget the multivitamins…"

Rose let her eyes wander over Amy for a moment. She couldn't be more than twenty five years old and she was married and had a family; it was a strange family, yes, but at least it was a family. And she genuinely seemed to care about the Doctor. Always asking if he was alright, if he needed anything or wanted something… had Rose been like that when she had travelled with the Doctor? "Why are you always so worried about the Doctor?"

Amy sighed. "Because he's like a son to me. He may be a Time Lord, but it's just what they're called, it doesn't mean he actually knows what he's doing. I can remember when he stayed up for weeks at a time without sleeping, or eating, or drinking _anything_. I thought he was going to starve. And then he went around _without _us, after he 'died', getting arrested and nearly killed. As long as I'm with the Doctor, I'm going to make sure he takes care of himself."

Rose admitted, "You look like an experienced mother."

"Thanks. I guess with Melody and everything I had a bit of time to get used to it…." She trailed off, her eyes clouding with painful memories.

"Well, you're certainly better than me." Rose confirmed. She leaned in suddenly, whispering, "Can you guys keep a secret? I don't want _anyone _to know…"

Amy snorted. "So what does that make us, goldfish?"

"I can trust you two with this." Rose took a deep breath. "Guys, I'm pregnant."

Donna and Amy's eyes grew wide. "Er, congratulations…" Amy started, a little joyfully but still confused. "But you haven't told James?"

"No…" Rose looked like a little lost kid. She had helped her mum with her brother Tony, but she didn't know _anything _about babies. "Do you think I should?"

Both Amy and Donna answered at the same time, Donna with 'Yes!' and Amy with, 'No!'. They looked at each other once, before looking again at Rose, who was biting her lip nervously.

"Have you had a scan yet?" Amy asked carefully. "How many months are you?"

"I'm four months, and yes, I had my first scan back in the parallel universe."

"You're _four months_? And you haven't told James?" Donna whispered in shock.

"What am I _meant _to say? 'James, sorry I haven't told you but I'm pregnant with a part Time Lord baby that grows faster than normal ones'?"

"What do you mean by faster?" Amy asked slowly. "You mean accelerated?"

"I'm four months and the baby's at a stage of six." Rose told them. She smiled proudly. "It's a girl."

She pulled off her leather jacket and slowly tugged up her shirt to reveal a quite large defined bump that was sticking out between her hips, rock solid to the touch. They had to stop then, because James trudged up the stairs wearing blue pyjamas with little TARDISes printed on them, pouting. Rose yanked down her shirt and jerked her jacket over her to make it seem like she was using it like a blanket. Rose, Amy and Donna stared at his attire for a moment before slowly moving their eyes from his clothes to his face.

"I need a glass of water." James whimpered.

"Stop dawdling and get back to bed, you bad boy!" Amy scolded him. "You can get a drink tomorrow morning."

"But I'm thirsty!" James moaned. "Pwease?" He seemed totally oblivious to Amy's joking mood. He really seemed to think of Amy as a mother.

"Don't make me come down there." Amy said in a warning tone.

James rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath as he stomped down the stairs again out of sight. Amy, Rose and Donna had to laugh then, because they all saw _it_.

James, the duplicate of the Tenth Doctor, the human with the Time Lord mind, was dragging a pink teddy bear behind him.


End file.
